February 6th, 2015
Lebanon, Kansas

The air was thick with sweat, and Alex struggled to breathe through the dull pain in her ribs. A fist came out of nowhere, and the angel, pivoted, barely recoiling in time to avoid it. She dug her nails into her palm, planting her feet as she gathered herself to deliver a counter blow, but her opponent was faster. His leg swept hers out from under her, and Alex grunted as her back hit the thin padding of the mat. Her vision swam at the impact, and the angel let her head fall back as she stared up at the concrete ceiling.

"That the best you got?" Dean planted a foot on her chest, and Alex's grunt turned into a throaty growl. The Winchester merely chuckled, removing his foot and extending a hand, and Alex reluctantly let him help her back to her feet. "You were doing better half an hour ago."

"Half an hour ago I hadn't had the shit beaten out of me," Alex muttered, and she pulled her messy hair back out of her face. She reluctantly let her grace sink outwards, healing the worst of the bruising, but the aches remained firm in her skin. "How long are we going to keep doing this?"

"You knock me down, we can stop." A thin sheen of sweat covered Dean's chest, and he rubbed his freckled shoulders with his discarded shirt before he turned back to face her. "Ready when you are."

Alex balled her fists, nostrils flaring as she adjusted her stance and rocked up onto the balls of her feet. Dean approached, swaggering forward, and the angel shifted backwards to keep out of his reach. Her grey eyes narrowed in concentration as he planted his left foot. Left foot meant right punch. The angel ducked the blow, straightening immediately to prepare for his next move.

Two more punches came in quick succession, each of which were easily avoided — the Winchester was clearly starting easy. At the third punch, Alex raised her right hand to deflect it, following it immediately with a blow aimed at Dean's chest. It landed, true to its target, and she heard him grunt slightly at the impact before an elbow caught her off guard.

Alex hit the mat, using the force of the impact to roll out of the way and scramble to her feet. Her grace strained at her chest, desperate to get out, but the angel kept it quelled; the rules stated she had to do this alone: no supernatural help allowed.

How she was going to topple someone like Dean Winchester was anyone's guess.

A fist flashing past her nose snapped her out of her thoughts, and Alex twisted away in surprise. Her leg snapped out, hooking around the Winchester's knee, and she pulled back violently. The move upset his balance, and in a last ditch effort, Alex threw her full weight under his arms and into his stomach.

They collapsed in a tumble of arms and legs, and Alex grunted as Dean rolled on top of her. She wrapped her legs around his hips, putting him in her guard, and she surged up, wrapping an arm around the back of his neck and pulling him down into a guillotine choke. Dean reared up, ripping himself free, and Alex followed him, hooking an arm and driving him backwards to send the Winchester sprawling onto the ground. He grunted as his skull collided with the mat, and Alex rolled on top, one hand planted on his bare chest. "Fight's over," she huffed out, digging her blunt fingernails into his skin to briefly emphasize her point. "I win."

"Yeah, right." Dean pushed her off of him, and Alex fell back onto the mat, stretching out her limbs in a dramatic gesture of exhaustion. "You finally got that sweep right, I see."

Alex half-heartedly punched at the air, a sign of her victory. "Yup," she agreed breathlessly. "Finally." She rolled over, pressing her forehead into the cool foam. "God, I need a shower."

A light swat to her calf had her sitting up to watch Dean push himself to his feet. "Don't think this is over," he reminded, rubbing his head from where it had collided with the ground. "I was going easy on you. We've still got a lot of work to do." He picked up his shirt and sniffed it, recoiling slightly at the smell. "Go get cleaned up," he instructed after a second. "Maybe Sam's found something."

Alex didn't wait for any further instructions before she hurried away. She bounded down the stairs towards the showers, but the feeling of Sam's soul from the library had her pausing. She circled around, bare feet silent on the concrete floor as she made her way down the halls.

Sam was in the library, hunched over a book, and he didn't notice Alex's presence until she dropped down into a chair across from him with a huff. "Uh, hey." Hazel eyes flashed in amusement at her flushed face and wet clothes. "Have a nice shower?"

"Ugh. This is sweat, not water." Alex tugged at her damp hair with a noise of disgust. "Dean worked my ass off upstairs. If that was him pulling punches ..." She trailed off and shook her head, leaving the rest unspoken. Sam chuckled, and Alex motioned to the large array of books around them. "What's all this?"

"I don't know. It was here when I woke up this morning." Sam's large shoulders rose and fell in a shrug. "Dean's probably still looking into the Mark of Cain."

"And rightly so." Alex's grace snuck out to feel the eldest Winchester making his way to the showers. "And he — have either of you found anything on removing it?" The grim look on Sam's face said it all, and Alex leaned back, barely stifling a groan at the pain in her muscles. "Great."

She ran fingers down her side, feeling traces of bruising from Dean's fists, the last ache that her grace hadn't removed. "I've been looking into some of the pre-biblical lore," she heard Sam begin. "There's not much, and a lot is still untranslated. It's interesting," he was quick to add, "but nothing points to the Mark. There, uh, there was one script that mentioned Sheol, though." He shuffled through the mess on the table, and Alex's head cocked in interest as a dusty old book was placed in front of her, the pages marked with a myriad of post-it notes.

"Huh." Alex half-heartedly flipped through the old manuscript, eyes skimming the small, hand-written words. "Anything of interest?"

"Yeah, a bit." The table creaked as Sam leaned forward to flip through the pages. "Uh, this word here, uh, I can't pronounce it, but from what I can gather it means 'those who dance on the edge of a coin.' " He pointed to a jumble of scrawled letters, and Alex narrowed her eyes as she tried to recognize the language before she turned her attention to the other side of the page, translated into English; a blank line signified the lack of knowledge for the word's meaning.

"Okay, sure, I can see how that makes sense. One side being hell, the other heaven." Alex nodded in understanding, but despite her feigned interest, her her grace stretched out to feel if Dean was still in the shower as she absently added, "Anything else?"

"Uh, well, it, uh, doesn't call Sheol by name, but instead refers to it as The Valley of Death." The next thing Alex knew, Sam was on his feet, and three steps took him around the table so he could lean over the back of her chair, his interest fully ensnared by the text. Alex leaned away from the hunter, his body heat too much for her overheated skin, but he didn't seem to notice. "It was Death who brought the souls there, and they thought that these souls had to walk from one end of the valley to the other, and with each step they took they had to relive their entire lives."

"Okay. And is there anything about why I'm back?" Alex glanced up into Sam's face, half-hidden by his shaggy brown hair.

"What? Uh, no. No." Sam shook his head and pulled away, his pale lips pressed together in a frown. "No, nothing like that. I just thought you'd find this stuff interesting."

The shower water turned off, and Alex pushed herself to her feet. "Yeah," she half-heartedly agreed. "I'll read over it some more once I've had a chance to clean up." She emphasized her words by brushing a hand across Sam's arm on her way to close the book, and the Winchester gave a small, understanding nod. He stepped back, and Alex hurried away.

The cold, icy spray of the shower was a relief, and Alex lost track of time beneath the pounding water. It was only the ache in her legs that kept her from staying in there long, and the young angel reluctantly shook the water from her hair and stepped out from beneath the shower head. The air was somehow colder than the shower, and the young angel shivered as she wrapped her towel tightly around her. Her grace stretched out to feel the Winchesters in the library as she hastily dried and dressed herself, and she tossed her towel over the towel rack before she made her way to her room.

Alex threw on a sweatshirt over her already dampening shirt and pulled her hair up into a messy bun, pausing only long enough to check her appearance in the mirror before she made her way back to the main room.

Sam and Dean sat across from each other, each buried in their work. Dean was pouring over the old texts, shoulders hunched and face twisted in frustration, a complete opposite from his relaxed, laid-back brother. Sam looked up at Alex's arrival, hazel eyes turning away from his laptop, and he nodded his welcome as she sat down beside her. "Hey." She drew her legs up beneath her as she curled up in the chair. "Find anything on the Mark yet?" she asked Dean.

"Nothing." Dean's scowl darkened. "You'd think these eggheads, with all the crap they amassed over the years, would have actually collected something important." A large manuscript was tossed in her direction, landing on the table in front of her. "Uh, here. 'He-wolf/She-wolf: a Study in Werewolf Transgenderism.' " He scoffed, green eyes rolling around at the ridiculous content. "That thing is six hundred pages, volume one. But, uh, there's not something important like — I don't know — maybe the oldest symbol known to man. That's not worth our time. It's not weird enough."

Alex shot a glance over at Sam as Dean's rant came to an end, unsure how to respond, and she slowly pushed the dusty book away. "That's ... great. Well, keep looking, I guess."

The ringing of Sam's phone let her fall silent, attention turning onto the dark-haired Winchester as he pulled out his phone. "No way," she heard him murmur in surprise at the name on the screen, and he quickly pressed the device up against his ear. "Hey! Jody. How's it going?"

Alex recognized the voice of Jody Mills, and she leaned closer to try and pick out the words. "— time of my life at a sheriff's retreat in Hibbing," the sheriff was saying, and Alex chuckled at the distaste in her voice.

"Wow. Sounds like a blast." Sam mimicked Alex's laugh, and Dean looked up long enough to wave his fingers in the direction of the phone. "Uh, Dean says hi. And Alex," he added when Alex was quick to mimic Dean's gesture.

Jody made a surprised noise, but the angel couldn't pick out distinctive words from her following angry response. "Yeah, uh, right." Sam awkwardly cleared his throat, and he shifted the phone to the other ear to keep Alex at bay as the angel leaned closer, intent on listening in. "Sorry about that." He paused, listening, and after a second, responded, "Good, good. Yeah, you know. Uh, you know, hold on a sec. I'm gonna put you on speaker."

He dropped his phone onto the table, and it crackled to life. "Hey, Jody." Dean pushed his book aside to lean forward. "How's, uh, your Alex holding up?"

"Awesome," came the dry response. "Already head of the cheerleading squad." Sam made a noise of surprise, and Jody scoffed. "I'm kidding. She smokes grass under the bleachers, but at least she's not luring men to their deaths." The sheriff let out a sigh. "How about your Alex?"

"Great. I'm right here, actually." The table creaked as Alex leaned her elbows on it. "It's been a long time since I've heard your voice. What's up with this surprise call?"

Jody snorted in amusement at her words. "Listen. This may not be your kind of thing, but a body was found here this morning, and something had gone to chow town on it."

"What do you mean?" Alex was quick to ask. "Was there anything missing? Hearts? Throats ripped out?" She looked between Sam and Dean, curious as to if either of them had answers, but Jody spoke before they could.

"Worse," she replied, her voice crackling through the speakers. "I'm hearing that all the flesh had been eaten down to the bone. Any ideas?"

The Winchesters exchanged looks from across the table. "Well, it's not a vampire," Dean confirmed, his eyes darkening, and when Sam shrugged, he added, "Jody, we could head that way. Wouldn't be any trouble at all."

"Nah." Alex could hear the shake of the sheriff's head in her tone. "It's okay. I can handle it. I promise I'll call if it gets to be something I can't."

"Alright." Sam reached for his phone with a small grin. "Well, uh, enjoy the retreat."

"Screw you, Winchester —" Jody's voice cut off as Sam hung up, and he tucked his phone back into the pocket of his jeans with a chuckle. Alex leaned back in her chair, and after a second or two, Dean did the same with a low, angry groan.

"I swear," he muttered, "I'mma swallow a bag of knives if I got to keep looking at this stuff." His hands thudded down on the table, and the Winchester made a move to rise to his feet. "Let's —"

"Jody said she was on top of it, Dean." Sam was quick to cut Dean off, and the Winchester's shoulders fell. He let out a half-hearted agreement, the noise drawn out in reluctance, and he cast his eyes over his work before they turned up onto Sam, green eyes sparkling in a silent plea.

Sam turned to Alex, searching for backup, but the angel mimicked Dean's expression, bottom lip sticking out in a small pout. "What if Jody needs help? We're all the way down here."

Sam rolled his eyes as he looked between her and his brother, and Alex let her eyebrows turn up, completing the pleading look. "You're the worst." His hand thudded down on the table, and a grin broke out across Dean's freckled face. "Alright. Fine. Let's take a drive."

The body that lay in front of her wasn't much of a body at all. Alex tugged the sleeves of her blouse down to further cover her arms, shivering slightly at the refrigerated room as she stepped closer to the flesh-stripped corpse. "You say there's been two of these?" she asked the coroner, and she circled around the table to make room for Sam and Dean.

"Second one just came in about two hours ago," the dark-haired woman agreed, and she gave a small, stressed yank of her long hair. "The majority of the flesh is missing, just like the first. All the major organs were taken without a trace." The coroner moved over to a second covered body to draw back the sheet, exposing blood-stained ribs that met flesh at the neck.

Alex heard Dean grimace, and she hesitantly leaned over the corpse to further examine the damage. The bones had been picked near-clean, with, like the woman had said, not a trace of internal organs remaining. "How was the flesh removed?" she asked curiously. "Knife? Teeth?"

The faint, momentary squinting of the woman's eyes was the only sign of her confusion at Alex's strange question. "Lab analysis hasn't come back yet," she slowly began, "but it seems pretty clear it was an animal. This far north, you get stuff big enough to kill a man." The coroner shook her head in disbelief. "I haven't heard of one doing anything this cleanly, though."

Alex hummed in understanding, letting the vaguely pointed answer slide. "What was the cause of death?"

"Blood loss, undoubtedly. Most likely from this wound right here." The coroner moved around to the top of the corpse and pointed at the neck, where a gaping portion of flesh had been ripped away. "From the staining at the scene, it seems that they were dead before the abdomen was opened."

Alex hummed again, this time the tone sharp with interest, but all she said was, "How humane of them." She let her grey eyes wander over the corpse as she fell into silence, and the coroner stepped away. "Well?" The angel turned up to the Winchesters, lowering her voice so the woman couldn't hear. "This is new."

"You're telling me." Dean's face darkened as he looked between the bodies. "Whatever this thing is, it's nothing like anything I've seen." When Sam simply shrugged, the Winchester let out a quiet sigh. "Alright. Where's this police retreat at? Thank you," he added to the coroner, speaking up so the woman could hear.

"Uh, about five minutes outside of town." Sam led the way towards the door, and Alex and Dean followed him out to the car. "Definitely not a bear, though."

Dean scoffed in agreement as he unlocked the Impala's doors, and Alex crawled into the backseat as the engine roared to life. "Werewolf?" he suggested. "The heart was definitely gone."

"Maybe." The tightness in Sam's tone made it clear his agreement was forced. "If we're lucky, the cops were able to find something from a nearby surveillance camera."

The car jolted forward as it took off down the street, and Alex reached over to steady her things on the backseat as they slid precariously close to the edge, and she kicked off her dress shoes as she drew her legs up onto the seat. "That was fucking weird," she added as the Impala sped off down the main road. "Picked clean like that -- it was meticulous. Definitely intentional." She reached over the seat to pluck the manilla file out of Sam's hand, flipping through the papers to find the photos of the crime scene. Just like the coroner had said, the ground was stained red with blood, heaviest by where the victim's neck has been. "Neck wounds tend to mean vampires," she put forward helpfully.

"Except they eat blood, not flesh," Dean reminded. "Maybe, uh, the neck thing was just like you said -- humane way of putting them down. Human?" he guessed after a second's pause. "Wouldn't be the first time we ran into creeps like this in Minnesota."

Sam's immediate response was a grimace, his eyes darkening the memory. "This is the right area," he reluctantly agreed. "Except we killed the whole Bender family."

"Not the little girl. She'd be what, uh, eighteen, twenty by now? Old enough to be out of the slammer. Maybe she's, you know, carrying on the family business."

"Oh God, I hope not." Sam held out his hand back over his head, and Alex reluctantly returned the folder to him. "But you're right, that's a pretty good place to start. I can make some calls, see if I can find out where she went if the cops are willing to release that sort of information. She was a minor," he reminded Dean. "Chances are her records were expunged."

"Wait, we're talking about those cannibals who tried to eat Sam, right?" Alex leaned over the backseat, eyes narrowing as she racked her brain. "I definitely remember something to that effect from the show -- Sheol," she was quick to correct. "From ... wherever."

"Yeah. It sucked." The Impala turned off the highway and down a narrow side road. "We getting close, Sammy?"

"It's just at the end of this road. Take a left when it forks." Sam barely glanced up from the folder, too engrossed in the information it contained. "Why would they just leave the body in the middle of the yard, though? I mean, this second vic was found beside the garbage cans in his house. The wife said she found his body half an hour after she last saw him alive." He shook his head as he looked over at his brother. "Wouldn't it be safer to take him somewhere else?"

Dean shrugged, and the Impala rolled to a stop next to a large, cabinesque retreat. "You can't argue with crazy." He removed the keys, and the engine died. "Come on." Dean got out of the car, pausing as his eyes swept across the parking lot filled with cop cars. "Someone at this place should at least know something."

Sam only shrugged, and Alex fell in step behind the two brothers as she let them lead the way into the lodge. Her nose crinkled at the sudden rush of sound and warmth, shoulders drawing in tight as a man squeezed past her. Sam's head stuck above the crowd, and the angel lengthened her stride to walk at his side, ignoring how the open room swarmed with cops. The short-haired Winchester was humming casually, the low chorus of The Weight audible beneath the bustle of the crowds, and Alex's eyebrows knitted momentarily at his lack of concern for their surroundings; there was little doubt that at least one of the occupants had met the trio of fake FBI before.

"Hey! I said I could handle it." A familiar voice had her turning to see Jody Mills, the cold crossing of her arms in direct contrast to the warmth in her eyes as he looked the three of them up and down.

Her stoic facade was ignored by the Winchesters, and Dean grinned at the sight of the sheriff. "Nice to see you, too," he joked, and Sam added a quiet, "Hey," from behind him.

"Hi." Jody's eyes hurriedly slid down from Sam to Alex before immediately returning to the tall Winchester. After a second, she shook her head, resigning to the fact that they were there to help. "Okay, well, I'm headed down to the morgue. You want in?"

"Actually we just came from there." Alex slipped out from behind Dean so she could stand in full sight. "Second vic was same as the first — flesh stripped away from shoulders to knees. Messy, but thorough."

Jody's eyebrows lifted slightly, and she asked, "Anything missing?"

Alex blinked, caught off guard by the strange line of questioning, and as her silence lengthened, Dean stepped in. "Uh, just his wallet. Why?"

The squaring of Jody's eyes signaled her displeasure at the news, and she lowered her voice so the crowd around them couldn't overheard. "Because I think a belt was missing off the first kid."

"A belt?" Sam repeated the word in confusion, and he looked over at his brother, who could only shrug, unsure of what to make of it either. "So ... what? We have monster eating and then robbing people?"

"Jodio!" A bright, chirping voice drifted through the air, originating from somewhere along the far wall, and Alex watched as Mills' eyes rolled into the back of her skull, groaning in irritation. "You take sugar?" The tone was high-pitched, the cadance a thick Minnesotan accent, and Alex narrowed her eyes; she could have sworn she had heard that voice before.

"No." Jody's eyes flickered close for a moment, but she managed to keep her voice calm. "No sugar. It's, uh, don't ask," she added to the Winchesters when Sam's eyebrows lifted.

"Wait a second." Hazel eyes lit up in recognition, and Sam quickly ducked his head as he spoke to his brother, shoulders hunching as he tried to hide himself behind Jody's small frame. "Isn't that, uh, uh, Donna?"

"Fat-spa Donna!" Recognition clicked in his brother's eyes, and he craned his neck to peer through the crowd. "Right."

Alex peered around Jody to catch sight of the plump blonde woman, dressed in her sharp blue uniform, and she ducked back behind the sheriff before their eyes met. Jody's arms crossed as she regarded the to brothers in disbelief. "You guys know my stalker?"

Sam's response was a groan, and Dean added, "She nearly blew a case for us last time." His lips set in a tight line, and Alex shifted so she stood at Jody's side, pointing her back at Donna as to hide her face.

"Yeah, I haven't been able to shake that ray of sunshine since she got here." Jody shook her head, letting out a small breath of frustration before she shrugged. "She's actually been pretty helpful," she admitted, "but, you know, it's just tough keeping her out of this nightmare stuff, you know?"

"Right." Sam's hand came to rest on Alex's shoulder, and the angel looked up at him curiously. "Uh ,you two mind distracting her while Dean and I poke around?"

Alex's mouth opened in protest, but Jody beat her to the punch. "You show up, and now I'm a babysitter?"

"Look," Sam half-pleaded, "she hasn't gotten mixed up with this crap yet. Let's just try and keep it that way. Okay?" Alex felt his eyes fall on him, and when she didn't readily agree, he repeated himself, his hand squeezing her shoulder to emphasize his plea. "Okay?"

"Yeah, okay," the angel relented. "I heard you the first time. She'll never even know we were here—"

"Agent Freely?" The cheery voice came from behind her, and Alex spun around in surprise. Donna Hanscum was looking up at Sam, a wide grin on her face before she turned to Dean and Alex. "Agent Criss and Phillips."

"Hey." Sam forced a smile, and Alex felt a faint blush rise on her face, surprised to find that the woman had managed to sneak up on her. "Sheriff Hanscum."

"I thought it was you!" Donna chirped, two cups of coffee balanced in her hands. She grinned at the three of them, taking her time to take in their appearance before her blue eyes flickered over to Jody Mills. "Well, ain't this a kick in the pants? What dragged you in?"

"Um," Dean stuttered, "well, uh ... we can't talk about it."

"Oh. Yeah." Donna winked knowingly, and Alex barely held back a roll of her eyes. "I hear ya. Anything I can help with?"

She looked up at Sam, face blank with childlike expectancy, and Sam's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, no, no, no, no, no," he rushed out. "Uh, nothing." His hands disappeared into his pockets, clearing his throat before he fell silent with a curt nod.

Jody cleared her throat. "Actually, Sheriff," she began, "I was thinking you and I could go check out the gear expo."

Donna's smile faltered. "What about the morgue?"

"Well, you know, like you said, animal control will handle that." Jody clapped Alex on the shoulder, adding, "Why don't you come with us, huh? I'm sure the three of you were going to split up anyways."

Alex nodded, watching how Donna's eyes slowly began to light up once again. "I did hear they're packing some pretty serious heat in there," the blonde sheriff admitted, and her smile returned. "Alright. Let's go."

Donna handed Jody her coffee before she turned and led the way further into the room, and Alex cast a look back at Sam and Dean before she followed; their heads were bowed in quiet conversation, and they didn't even notice her glance. With a roll of her eyes, Alex turned away and followed Jody.

They passed down a hall, and Alex lengthened her stride to walk at Jody's side. "So ... how have you been?" she began politely. "I haven't seen you in a long time." She cleared her throat when Donna fell in step, and the angel lifted her chin to regain her sense of professionalism. "You're looking great, by the way," she added to the blonde, letting her lips lift into a polite smile. "How are things in Stillwater?"

Donna's eyes twinkled at Alex's compliment. "Oh, you know. Busy as ever. But that's the way it is around there."

"It's a beautiful area." The angel shoved her hands into her pockets, searching for someway to keep the conversation going. "I, uh, actually grew up there, just west of the downtown area."

"I betcha did." Donna's smile grew even more. "I can hear it in your voice," she explained when Alex blinked in surprise. "You sound like one of us."

"I — I don't think so." Alex quickly shook her head and looked over at Jody in search of support. "I don't sound anything like that. No offense," she quickly added, "but your accent is really strong. Like, really strong."

Donna's head tipped back in a laugh as Alex stumbled through her apology. "None taken. You city slickers don't talk the same way that us northern folk do. Me, well, I grew up not more than twenty minutes north of here — op, and here we are."

A large room lay in front of them, lined with tables displaying gadgets of all kinds, and Alex's eyebrows lifted in amazement at the diversity. Donna took the lead, and Alex hung close to Jody's side, acutely aware of how out of place she was among the law enforcement that surrounded her. A few glanced her way, but Alex kept her head down, staying close to Jody's side. They passed a table of vests, laid out before a gathering crowd of murmuring officers, and Donna came to stop beside a display of handguns.

The man behind the table was busy speaking to another sheriff, tall and broad, and Alex snuck out from behind Jody to run curious fingers over the slide of a black pistol. "This is my kind of convention," she joked quietly, grinning wolfishly up at Jody Mills.

"Uh, officer ladies." The showman turned to them, amiability dancing in his eyes. "Check this out." He picked up a small handgun, turning it over to show off its design. "You can take it to lunch, to the gym, have your nails done. She's alway by your side."

"Huh. How about this puppy?" Jody pointed to a much larger gun, and the man blinked, surprised by her choice.

"Oh. Well, it depends." The shock lasted barely a second before his lazy grin returned, and he winked at the three of them. "Think you can handle a big one?"

Jody hefted the weapon in her hands, testing its weight. "Sigma, right?" She handed it to Alex, and the angel turned it over, feeling her way along the thick metal body. She grunted in agreement before passing it on to Donna.

"Ten pounds pull weight," the blonde officer guessed, nodding in confirmation with her partner's statement. "Cute."

Jody scoffed as Donna put the gun back onto its stand. "Call this a big one? Hope you drive a Porsche."

The vendor's brow furrowed at the insult, but before he could respond, a laugh came from behind Alex. "Chaz." And officer stood there, tall, broad, yet slightly-overweight, and he exchanged a grin with the man behind the table. "If you're trying to pull the wool over this one, you got the wrong girl. Sheriff Hanscum here is a wolf in sheepskin, right?" He winked over at Donna with a chuckle.

The blonde's lips were pursed together angrily, and it took her a moment before she brought herself around to respond. "Thank you, Doug. Wolves are majestic creatures. But save your flattery for other female people."

Alex tipped her head, confused by the cold response as she regarded the newcomer. He not only had the same thick accent, but he and Dona spoke to each other in a familiar fashion; clearly they knew each other well. She watched as Doug blinked, confused by Donna's rejection. "Oh." Realization flashed across his face. "Oh, Sheriff Goodhill." Doug chuckled again. "No. No, I mean, yeah — but, you know, we just met. Cufflinks — you know how it is."

"Cuff what?"

"Cufflinks!" For the first time, Doug seemed to notice Jody's presence, and he grinned down at her. "It'd a dating site for cops. Y-You on it, Donna?"

"Me?" Donna forced a small laugh. "No. Not quite there yet."

"Oh, you still, uh, getting into date shape, huh?" Doug patted his belly for emphasis, and Alex felt her grace stir angrily inside of her. She didn't notice that her fists had clenched at her side until Jody put a hand on her shoulder.

"For the love of God." Mills pushed Alex behind her as she stepped forward, her face dark with fury. "What is wrong with you? You get off on fat-shaming chicks?" The entire room fell silent, all attention on Mills, who turned to her partner to quickly add, "You are so not fat, by the way." Donna blinked, too shocked by Jody's outburst to respond, and the sheriff turned back to Doug. "And you — you are just a douche."

"Uh, o-okay." Doug took a step back, taken off-guard by the sudden, vehement retaliation, and his mouth hung open as he searched for some sort of a response. "I'll just , uh ... okay then." His feet carried him back another step, and he suddenly swiveled and hurried away.

"Nice." Alex pulled her hand away from where it had migrated to the hilt of her blade, giving the sheriff an approving nod. "I was getting ready to punch that asshole. Who the hell is he?"

Her question went unanswered, as Donna seemed far less appeased at Mills' outburst. "What the h-e-double-hockey-sticks, Jody?" she snapped, her eyes eyes stretched wide in mollification. "Calling my ex a douche to his face?"

Jody's eyes narrowed in indignation. "It didn't look like you were going to do it!" she retorted.

"What would be the point? We've divorced! You really think I'm gonna change him now?"

Right. Alex cast a look over her shoulder, trying to catch sight of the tall man. That was right; Donna had mentioned something about her ex-husband when they had met. "So he gets to treat you like a doormat forever?" she heard Jody snap, exasperated. "Is that it?"

"How about this? Til you've actually lost a husband, you keep your mouth zipped about mine." Alex turned around at Donna's words, just in time to see Jody stiffen. Her grace flicked out angrily at the blonde's tactlessness, and she opened her mouth to snap, but the growing look of horror across Donna's face stopped her. "Did ..." she slowly began, "did something happen ... to your husband?"

Jody forced a smile, and when Alex lay a hand upon her shoulder, her voice lowered. "We all have our crosses to bear, right?"

A moment of silence followed her words as Donna searched for something to say, but when nothing profound came, all she managed was, "Hey, I'm sorry if I ... You want to talk about it or —"

"No." Jody cut her off with a gentle shake of her head before heaving a sigh. "Not right now. It's okay," she added when Donna's despondence grew. "It's fair. I certainly went there."

"Alright then." The older sheriff's forgiveness did little to cheer the blonde up, and Donna's shoulders fell even further. "I'm gonna get some air."

She hurried away, and Alex's hand fell away from Jody's shoulder. "I'm sure she'll be fine," she weakly promised, grey eyes following the cop until she disappeared from sight. "You alright?"

"Yeah." With a sigh, the sheriff shook off her thoughts. "Don't worry about it." She stepped away from the gun display, and Alex followed, not fully convinced by Jody's response. "Anyways. So, Sam said you and Dean were off the rails. What brought you back?"

Alex's grey eyes darkened, and she reluctantly let the conversation change. "He told you."

"He thought you had come to me." Somehow, Mills managed to sound disinterested, but the angel could see the curiosity gleaming in the corner of her eyes.

"It's complicated." Alex instinctively brushed off the question, casting a look down the hall to where she had left Sam and Dean. "I'm not sure how much I can tell you," she added, softening her voice, "but Dean ... Dean's the one who went off the rails, and I had to follow. Because of Crowley." She shrugged, unsure of what else to say. "The important thing is that we're both back, safe and sound."

"I suppose." Jody frowned, displeased at the angel's vague answer, but the sound of police sirens cut short any pressing response. "The hell?" The sheriff's exclamation of surprise was echoed by the cops all around her, and Alex pushed past her friend at the appearance of Dean Winchester, a scowl on his face.

"Hey." The angel's voice was nearly drowned out by the clammer of confusion all around her, and she lifted herself up onto her toes to try and catch a glimpse of the source of commotion. "What the hell's going on here?"

"From what I just heard? Another body was found out back." The disgust on Dean's face made it clear that he had already been at the scene of the crime. "Same as the first two. Hey, Jody," he added as Mills approached, and his green eyes darkened as he looked around. "Where's Donna?"

Sheriff Mills shrugged. "She just stepped outside for a bit to get some air. What's all this about?"

Dean was quick to repeat all he had learned. "Another body. Animal attack, my ass. I, uh, I spoke with Sheriff Len Cuse earlier — local PD," Dean clarified for Alex, and the angel hummed in understanding. "He said this was animal attack, cut and dry. Then he claimed he didn't have any surveillance footage of the attacks. Except when I spoke to deputy douche just now, he said Cuse changed the server password after the second attack and refused to let anyone else look at the feed."

"Definitely sounds sketchy," Alex agreed, and she cast a quick look around her in search of the men Dean had spoken of. "Is the Sheriff here?"

Dean shrugged. "I haven't seen him since Sam and I spoke to him. That was a good ten minutes ago."

He fell silent, and after a second or two, Jody spoke up. "I haven't seen him since the expo," she added before quickly clearing her throat. "So, how you doing, kiddo?"

"Me?" Dean's eyes flickered in surprise. "Uh, fantastic. Why?"

Jody shrugged nonchalantly, but her voice was sharp with unanswered questions. "Word round the campfire is you and Alex went off the rez a couple months back." She jerked a thumb back towards the angel, who squared her jaw in displeasure. "She won't say why or where the two of you went."

"That right? Good." The Winchester's eyes hardened. "You and Sam been passing notes during class, huh? It's nothing I can't handle."

Jody shook her head, unaffected by Dean's defensive words. "Just saying. I make a mean bowl of chowder if you ever need to talk."

The hunter's face softened, and his shoulders fell slightly. "I appreciate that." He turned as footsteps approached, and Alex took a step back so Sam could enter the small circle they had formed. "Hey," Dean greeted. "You got something?"

"Um, well, there was something." Sam looked between the three of them curiously, but when no one spoke up, he continued on. "Uh, I hacked into the surveillance server, but the files had been deleted."

"What? For real?" When Sam nodded, Alex looked up at Dean. "You said Sheriff Cuse was the only one who had access to those files —"

The quick widening of Sam's eyes had her cutting off, and her head whipped around to try and find what had trigger the nonverbal cue to shut up. Sheriff Donna Hanscum stood behind Jody, hands shoved nervously in her pockets, and Alex snapped her jaw shut.

"Hi," the blonde began, barely pausing to look at the three before she turned to Jody. "Jody, can we talk for a sec? Alone?" she added softly with a quick glance at Alex.

Jody nodded, and Dean added, "Yeah. We'll go — we'll go look around." The two women walked away, and Alex turned to fully face the brothers as Dean asked, "What about you? You sniff anything out?"

"Nothing. But I wasn't looking too hard." Alex gave a half-hearted shrug as she did a quick sweep of the room. "Okay, so are we thinking this Cuse guy is our perpetrator, or is he covering for someone?"

"Hard to say until we find him." Sam reached up to brush back his hair, and his own hazel eyes flashed as he scanned their surroundings. "He couldn't have gotten too far." He stepped towards the crowd, and Alex fell in step alongside him as they moved towards the hall. "How's Jody doing? Anything new with her?"

"Dunno." Alex's shoulders quickly rose and fell. "I never got around to asking her, I guess. Not with Dona around. We had to maintain some professionalism, but I guess there's nothing going on that's so important it couldn't wait." They moved further down the hall, and Alex pointed to the approaching doorway. "Uh, gear expo is in there. Kitchen's are the next room down, I think," she added, lifting her nose to sniff at the air. "Mess hall straight ahead, and from the look of the place when we came in, rooms are all the way at the end."

"Sounds about right." Dean nodded in agreement with her analysis. "Alright. Why don't we split up? I'll head to the dining hall, you two take a quick sweep of the expo." He waited until Sam nodded before he hurried off down the hall, leaving Sam and Alex standing by themselves.

"You think he's here to work or to eat?" Alex accompanied her good-natured rib with a grin, and she was rewarded with a smile from Sam.

That smile, however, was quick to fade. "How do you think he's doing?" Sam's face darkened in worry as Dean disappeared from sight, and Alex frowned. "Has he said anything to you about t-the Mark?"

"Nothing." Alex shook her head. "When we were with Crowley, he said Dean needed to kill to keep the Mark sated. I don't ... I don't think that's changed, so maybe we just ... need to keep our heads down and let Dean kill shit." She ended abruptly as a pair of sheriffs walked past, clamping her mouth shut until they had moved back out of earshot.

"Maybe you're right." A note of defeat lined Sam's voice, and he sighed. "What about you?"

"Me?" Alex squinted, surprised at the question. "Dude, I'm totally fine. Glad to be back home." Alex shrugged as Sam pulled his phone out of his pocket, and her curiosity grew as he frowned. "What? What's up?"

"Uh, nothing, maybe. I just got a, uh, voicemail from Jody." Sam pressed his phone up against his ear as he listened closely, and Alex took the moment to adjust the cuffs of her sleeves.

"Voicemail?" she repeated, turning to study the crowd that was still milling around in the lobby. "We just spoke to her like, what? A minute ago? Maybe two?"

No response came, and from the corner of her eye, she saw Sam's frown darken. He tucked his phone back into his pocket, and Alex looked up expectantly as she waited for an explanation. "Well, it looks like Cuse is definitely our guy," the Winchester relayed. " I guess Donna saw something. Jody says he's staying in room 304, and she and Donna are headed there now."

"Did she say how they knew?" Alex's answer was met with a shake of Sam's head, and she looked down the hall to the spot where they had left Dean. "Well, I guess that's as good a place to start as any. Lead the way."

Sam moved off down the hall, and Alex followed, pulling her grace upwards as they climbed the stairs. "Dean." The sound of Sam's voice had her looking up to see the Winchester on his phone again. "We're headed up to room 304. Jody says it's Cuse. Meet us." He hung up with a shake of his head, and Alex reached back for her weapon. She felt the handle of her angel blade resting against the grip of her gun, and the angel hesitated, unsure which to draw as they turned down the hall.

Room 304 was close to the stairs, and Alex finally decided to pull out her blade as Sam stooped to pick the lock. The door swung open with little difficulty, and Sam pocketed his picks as he pushed his way inside. "Whoa, whoa!" His hands immediately went up defensively, and Alex rushed in to confront whatever was inside.

She was met by Jody Mills, a machete in hand. "Got your voicemail," Sam finished, and he slowly lowered his hands as Jody's shoulders fell in relief.

"Sheriff Cuse is a vampire," she told them, but her voice was partially drowned out by Donna's wide-eyed, "She just pulled out a machete!" The blonde looked up at Sam, face blank with shock, and Alex nodded in understanding as Jody lowered her weapon. "Donna saw her teeth," she finished.

"What the cuss?" Donna's head whipped around to stare up at Jody, her accent thickening as her shock grew. "A vampire?"

"You want to give her the talk?" Alex turned at the sound of Dean's voice from the doorway, and Jody gave a grim nod. "Hey," he added as he turned to his brother. "Got your message. Definitely Cuse?"

"Donna saw his teeth," Alex confirmed. "Hey, you two," she added, waving Jody and Donna towards them. "Let's get out of this room before vamp cop decides to come back, huh?" She looked up at Sam to make sure the Winchester agreed before she pushed them all out of the room, using her grace to lock the door behind them.

"Donna ..." She heard Jody begin, and she let the two fall behind as she followed Dean down the stairs. "What you saw ... it was real. You saw a vampire. Monsters, ghosts, demons. They're all real. These three, they hunt them. That's Sam, Dean, and Alex." Alex glanced back to see that the sheriff was pointing them out. "They've helped me out on more than one occasion."

"Heck. Just ... heck." The door squeaked as they stepped outside, and Alex smiled at Donna's disbelief.

She watched as Dean looked back over his shoulder as he paused by his car. "We good?" he asked, and Jody gave him a quick, curt nod.

Donna, however, was less than satisfied with the rushed and vague explanation she had been given. "Wait. So, when we were at the weight-loss spa —"

"Monsters." Dean shrugged as he dug out his keys. "Sucking on your fat. We took care of them."

"Ah, jeez. I knew losing ten pounds that fast was too good to be true." Donna's face fell, and Alex couldn't help but laugh at the women's takeaway from Dean's blunt statement. The blonde reached into her pocket, and the rustle of paper reached Alex's ears as she pulled forth a note and held it out to Sam. "Here. Maybe this is where sheriff ... vampire went."

Sam's phone dinged as he hurriedly typed in the address scrawled in lead, but Dean was far less convinced. "It could be anything," he reminded before he looked over at his brother's screen. "What do you got?"

"Looks like it's an old farm outside of town," Sam reported, and Dean grunted. "Could be something."

"And it's the only lead we got," Donna added, and Alex looked up in surprise at the sheriff's sudden and strongly opinionated input.

She lifted an eyebrow, and Sam did the same, mimicking the angel's skepticism. "We?" he repeated. "All due respect, Sheriff, but vampires are far more dangerous than the johns that you throw in jail."

Dean nodded, firmly adding, "You're gonna sit this one out."

"Stuff you, Dean!" Donna's response to the Winchester's concern was one of defensive anger, and Alex shifted, amused at the woman's spunk. "Or whatever your real name is."

Dean opened his mouth, ready to snap, but Jody cut in before he could retaliate. "Hanscum's good."

"Jody —"

"I said she's good." The sheriff's voice left no room for arguments, and the two Winchesters exchanged looks over Alex's head.

"Okay," Dean finally relented, the grim look in his eyes making his reluctance clear, and he turned back to Donna with a tight grimace. "But you're staying back. We're taking the lead, okay?" He unlocked the Impala's doors, but he didn't drop Donna's gaze until the woman finally nodded. "Great. Alex, up front."

"Yes, sir." Alex gave him a rushed, mock salute as she followed Sam around to the other side of the car. She slipped onto the bench seat, crossing her legs as she was boxed in by the two tall hunters. She glanced back to see the two sheriffs climbing in, and she shifted closer to Sam as Dean moved to turn on the car. The engine roared to life, and the Impala tore off down the street.

Alex followed Sam out of the Impala, surpressing her grace as it tried to flick curiously outwards towards the dilapidated farmhouse. She tugged on the hem of her flannel shirt, fingers brushing over the still-crusted remains of an old blood stain. Gross. The angel let her hand drop back to her side, thankful for the darkness that hid her appearance. She really needed to do the laundry. "What's the plan?" She let her voice rise above a whisper as she addressed Dean, letting her gaze sweep across the small crowd. Jody and Donna stood off to the side, the blonde hanging close to her friend, while Sam and Dean circled around to the trunk.

"Here." Dean threw open the weapon's hatch and pulled out a machete, the cold steel glinting in the moonlight as he passed it to his brother. "And, uh, you two." He fished out two more weapons and held them out to Jody and Donna in turn. The blonde hesitated, and Dean's face grew grim. "If you're gonna swing, swing hard," he warned. "With vamps, head's gotta roll."

Donna hesitated, and for a second, Alex could have sworn the sheriff was going to back out. However, her blue eyes flashed with determination, and when Donna spoke, her voice didn't tremble. "Got it."

"Good." Alex pulled out her blade, twirling the weapon in her hands once to show off before she let it fall back to her side. "Keep back and let us take the lead."

Sam brushed past her, stepping lightly on the gravel road, and Alex followed close at his heels, moving silently across the loose rocks. She kept her grace in until she was out of range of the Impala, and then finally let it sneak out, careful to keep it under control as not to shatter any more lights. A faint glow came from the window up ahead, and the angel focused her attention there as she felt the soul inside. Monster. Vampire, undoubtedly. She elbowed Sam in the side, baring her teeth while she curled two fingers towards her lips. She accompanied the gesture with a jerk towards the window, and the Winchester nodded in understanding.

He repeated the signal back to Dean, and Dean nodded as well, stretching out a hand to keep Jody and Donna back. Sam paused by the window and pressed his back into the wooden siding, and Alex followed suit, ducking past him to peer up through the dusty panes.

A man sat inside, staring blankly down at a wooden desk, and Alex pulled away to look up at Sam. The Winchester met her gaze, and, seeing the question in her eyes, nodded: the man was their suspect Len Cuse. Alex pursed her lips and peered back up, and she felt a hot rush of surprise pass through her veins to find the desk empty. Her grace poured inwards, desperately searching for the vampire, and her feet almost slipped in the mud as Len suddenly appeared at the window, eyes stretched wide in panic. "Run!" The word was yelled, and in her surprise, Alex backpedaled.

She heard bodies hit the ground, one after another, and Alex spun. Colors flashed across her vision as pain exploded in her skull, and the angel collapsed onto the ground. Her grace protested, exploding outwards, and the light in the farmhouse shattered. There were voices, low and hurried, and Alex felt hands wrap themselves in her shirt as she was heaved upwards. The angel groaned, trying to fend off her attackers, but her limbs were heavy and unresponsive, stunned from the violent assault.

Sam was being dragged behind her, and although Alex couldn't see the others, she could hear the sound of their bodies being pulled through the dirt. They were alive; her grace confirmed that, still writhing violently through the air, and Alex grit her teeth to reign the panicked energy back inside.

They entered the farmhouse, and Alex grunted as she was tossed onto the ground. "Son of a ..." With her grace back under control, the angel was able to push herself back to her feet, but a fist to the stomach sent her back onto the floor with a curse. A hand yanked her up by the hair, forcing her up against a wooden post, and within a second, her hands were bound.

The angel barely noticed, too focused on the rest of her companions. They were being tied up, just like her, stirring as they were forced to their feet. No one seemed injured, and her attention turned onto the ground in search of their weapons. Her angel blade lay at her feet, ripped from her grasp when she had been hogtied. "Sam." Alex snapped her grace against the Winchester's soul, waking him up with a start. Dean, one more pillar over, rolled his head back as he came back to the waking world.

"Well, hi, there, sunflower." A young, dark-haired girl came to stop in front of Sam, her slim fingers brushing across his chest. Sam's nostrils flared in offense, but the woman didn't seem to care. "It's all love, pretty boy," she promised. "All of you will become all of us. We won't waste one bit."

"Okay, Mufasa." Wood creaked as Dean tugged angrily at his bonds, and the woman's attention turned to him. "Enough with the 'Circle of Life' crap. You're a vampire." The woman hummed out her agreement as she crossed over to him, and Dean's eyes flashed. "You're scum. End of story —" He cut off in surprise as the vampire's fingers deftly undid his belt, and the Winchester scoffed. "Yeah, I'm not in the mood."

His quip got no response, and it was Jody who spoke up next. "Wait," she began scornfully, and Alex's eyes flickered over to her. "It's not enough that you kill people. You've got to rob them, too?"

"We scavenge," came the even, disinterested response. "We don't sip and go. We use every part of the buffalo."

Jody huffed. "And to think I gave you lunch money," she muttered, and Alex let her grace stretch out to loosen the bonds. Her gaze swept across the room, making a mental note of all the vampires that surrounded them. Five, not counting Len Cuse, who was hiding in the corner, eyes flickering around warily.

"But you came in time for dinner." The vampire's voice next to her ear had Alex jumping in surprise, and the angel squared her jaw until the vampire stepped away.

"Starr, please let them go." Len finally spoke, his voice on the verge of begging. "I helped you out. I-I ditched the video of Catfish killing that man."

Starr turned from Alex, and the corners of her lips turned up into a cold, amused smile. "We didn't want favors, Len," she purred. "We wanted you."

"What use am I now?" The sheriff moved forward from the shadows, eyes stretched wide as he looked over at the five captives. "I don't even kill people. I-I'm on bagged blood."

"Uh, beg your pardon?" Alex's eyes widened, surprised at Donna's audacity to speak out. "I saw you with your vampire face standing over Sheriff Goodhill." Her round face furrowed in anger, and Alex looked up at Sam with an amused grin; the look was reciprocated, and the angel turned back to Len.

The vampire was vehemently shaking his head. No, no, I-I-I found her," he insisted. "I-I s-smelled her blood. I couldn't help my — my fangs. But I didn't bite." His last sentiment was directed at Sam and Dean, but it was impossible to read their grim faces.

"Well, aren't you a hero," Dean replied, voice cold and even, and Len looked over at Sam in desperation.

"Can — can we just get this reunion going a bit faster?" Alex added. "Really, I — I'm getting bored over here, and trust me — you don't want to lose my interest. You." She jerked her chin towards Len. "How exactly do you know these freaks here? You, uh, break up Burning Man or something?"

"More like Woodstock." It was Starr who answered, displeased at Alex's interruption. "Len found me crying on the curb after my daddy kicked me out. I got in Len's van, and the rest is wavy gravy."

"So, what?" Jody asked. "Len's like your Charlie Manson?"

"Oh." Starr chuckled slightly, and she smiled over at Len, who stood stiffly in the dim candlelight. "Charlie couldn't hold a candle to Len. He taught us everything."

"Yeah." Dean scoffed loudly, and Alex heard the pillar creak again as he tested his bonds. "I'm sure it was all Kombucha and Kumbaya."

The vampire's voice grew sharp as her head snapped to face Dean. "Liberating is what is was," she retorted, and she turned back to the old sheriff. "And then one day, poof! Len's gone."

"Til he landed his photo in the paper," another vampire added, his voice deep with scorn and hatred. "Stupid."

"For running a retreat of all things." Starr shook her head in disgrace. "You didn't just go straight, you became a damn cop. Now, that is wild, man." She circled around Cuse, and the man stumbled as Starr shoved him forward to stand in front of the Winchesters. "Are you feeling dirty, Len? Cause we're about to have ourselves a bloodbath."

"And ... my interest is gone." Alex let her grace flick through the air, and the lights flickered above their heads. She lifted her chin, letting her speech slip into a lazy, disinterested drawl as she finally let herself take control of the situation. "What do you guys think about Len?" She looked over at Sam and Dean, making sure to keep her movements slow and confident as she grinned. "Personally, I think he's likable. I vote we don't kill him."

Sam's brow momentarily furrowed, confused and displeased by Alex's sudden change in behavior, but Dean just shook his head. "Dude's a monster. We just don't let them walk cause they're likable."

"He says he's on bagged blood," the angel reminded. "We've let others off for less. Tell you what." She jerked her head towards the corner before locking eyes with Cuse. "Stand in the corner and we'll deal with you when this is over."

Len nodded, eager to prove his complaisance, but Starr scoffed loudly. "This is over when the five of you are dead." The vampire's fangs dropped, catching in the light, but Alex merely rolled her eyes at the show of intimidation.

"You, uh, you've heard of 'deus ex machina,' right?" Alex continued on as if the vampire had never spoken. "Basically, a bad situation, you in this case, is abruptly solved by the appearance of someone or something extremely powerful — me, in this case. You'll have to excuse me, though. Usually I have more patience for these types of evil rants, but I'm just really not feeling it all today."

A machete glinted in the light, and Starr stalked closer, slowly swinging the blade at her side. "Len taught us to use our food well, but honestly, there's just nothing on you to scavenge." She lifted the machete to Alex's throat, and the angel calmly quelled her grace when it jumped at the touch. "Maybe I'll just take off your head and we'll play it by ear."

Alex shrugged, ignoring how the blade shifted against her skin. "Might kill me," she admitted, looking over at Sam. "Course, you'd be dead before you took the swing, but that's a whole other can of worms."

"You done bragging yet?" Dean's tight voice had the angel rolling her eyes, and she let her grace snap out and undo the Winchester's bonds. She pulled her own hands free a second later as Starr spun around in surprise, and the angel reached over to touch Sam's ropes before she launched herself towards her weapon. She felt Sam spring away at the same time, and she rolled to her feet in time to shove her blade into the chest of a dark-skinned vamp.

He died in a flash of light, and the angel spun away. Dean was on his feet, a bloody machete in his hands as he charged one of his attackers, and Alex watched as Sam squared off with another.

A hiss had her spinning, searching for the source, and her eyes found Starr. The vampire was standing in front of Jody, fangs bared as the sheriff struggled at her ropes. Alex jumped forward, but Donna was faster. A machete sliced through the air, and Alex slid to a stop as Starr's head came to rest at her feet. "Hakuna matata, lady."

"Damn." Alex kicked the head away as she looked over at Dean to share his look of surprise. "I didn't even untie her. Jody's right; she's good." Dean grunted, and Alex turned to look at Sam, adding, "You doing okay?"

"I'm fine." The grim line on Sam's face said otherwise, but Alex let it slide.

"The heck was that?" The machete fell from Donna's hands as she motioned towards Alex, and the angel's head tilted, surprised by the sudden bout of anger. "What is that thing?"

Alex's gaze dropped down to her weapon, the silver bathed in blood. "Angel blade. What?" She narrowed her eyes as she looked between the two Winchesters, who were exchanging glances over her head. "Spit it out."

"Nothing." Sam shook his head, quick to diffuse the situation. "It's just ... you were, uh, a little cocky back there, don't you think?"

"Especially considering how out of shape you are," Dean added, his humor unable to hide his frustration. "Next time, just get us out so we can kill them, okay?"

"Okay." Alex wrinkled her nose at his sharp tone, and she rolled her eyes after him as Dean walked away. "Asshole." The Winchester didn't retaliate, and she turned back to Donna, softening her eyes at the blonde's wide eyes. "Hey. You okay?"

"Yeah." The sheriff's voice quavered slightly, but she head her head steady. "Other than the feeling like I want to hurl, sure. I just ... chopped off ... a vampire's head."

"You were great at that," Jody promised, and she put a hand on Donna's shoulder as she led the way outside. Alex slipped past, making her way out of the building search of Sam and Dean.

"Knowing that these things are out there makes the world seem — I don't know — bigger," Donna added quietly. "Darker."

"You know ..." Alex slowed her pace, turning her head back to look at the two sheriffs as they stepped out into the night. "If you need any sort of pointers on dealing with this type of crazy, just ask me or Jody."

She looked up at the Jody, and the woman nodded, adding. "Just give us a call, and we'll be willing to fill you in — you know, about what kills what. I've got a pretty good handle, but Alex here's been doing this for years. Hell, she's probably one of the best. Anything you need to know, she probably knows it."

Alex ducked her head at the praise. "I'm not that great," she murmured as her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "I had a good teacher, I guess." She lifted her gaze, grace rising to her eyes to peer through the darkness, and she cleared her throat at the sight of Sam and Dean standing beside the Impala. "Uh, excuse me. I'll be right back."

She hurried over to the Winchesters, ears perked to catch part of their quiet conversation. " — you know," Dean was saying, "for the first time I've been back, I didn't feel like the Mark was pushing me. All I know is, back there, killing those vamps ... I felt like me again."

"Alright." Sam's hazel eyes flickered over to Alex, searching for any evidence of support on her face, but the angel kept her face as blank as possible. "Alright," Sam repeated. "So, that's ... good, right? Maybe -- maybe Crowley was right about, uh, you needing to kill."

Dean frowned, clearly hesitant to agree with Crowley's assessment, but, after a second, he nodded. "Yeah," he admitted, turning to Alex before any objections could come. "How about you? You good?"

"I'm great. This — this was a milk run. Save your concern for when something here can actually hurt me." The angel shrugged and pulled open the Impala's front door. "Oh, uh, hey. Since I've proven that I can take actually care of myself if I put my mind to it,, does this mean I'm unbenched?"

She watched as the two hunters exchanged glances over the top of her head. Sam shrugged, not willing to take a firm position, but Alex's eyes narrowed as Dean gave a small, barely perceptible shake of his head. However, all he said was, "Tell you what. We'll think about it." He nudged her into the car, and he lifted his voice so the other women could hear. "Come on, you two. Let's get out of here."