November 17th, 2014

Lebanon, Kansas

Alex stepped out of the kitchen, taking a sip of her beer as she looked up and down the bunker hallways. It was empty, the walls and floor as pristine as ever, and the ex-angel drew in a deep breath as she made her way towards the library. There was something comforting about how the bunker hadn't changed; even the air had the same, slightly musty tang. The library tables were as they had always been, filled with books from Sam's research, and the neat stack extended even as far as the war room.

The ex-angel brushed past the Winchester's work as she crossed over to the hall that led to the bedrooms, and she took a long swig of her drink as she tipped her head, listening for any signs of life before she crossed into her bedroom.

The room was dark and completely untouched; her bag still lay unpacked on the floor, exactly where it had been two months ago, and the ex-angel sat down on her bed, hand slipping under her pillow to pull out the manilla folder that had belonged to Bobby Singer. The files were just as she had left them, and Alex dragged her fingers down along the edge of the crumpled note.

She was shaken from her thoughts by the sound of the bunker door opening, and Alex hurried out of her room towards it source. "Sam?" She finished off the last of her drink and set it on the library table as her eyes turned towards the bunker entrance. The Winchester was making his way down the staircase, a cooler gripped tightly in his injured hand. Alex moved forward to take it away from him. "Here. Let me take that."

"Thanks. How is he?"

"Alive, last I checked. He's still restrained down in the dungeon." Alex fell in step behind him as Sam led the way across the bunker and down the stairs. "How'd it go? Did the priest show to purify the blood?"

"Yeah, he showed." Sam pushed open the archive door, and Alex helped him pull open the bookshelves to reveal Dean Winchester.

The demon sat in the center of the demon trap, bound to his wooden chair by thick ropes. His eyes flickered up to them as the shelves spread wide, and Alex let Sam cross over to the small table before she followed to place the blood at his side. "Really?" She heard Dean scoff, and she circled around the bound demon before she took up a spot on the wall, arms crossed.

Sam ignored his brother's scornful words as he unrolled a black syringe case. "For whatever it's worth, I got your blood type." He pulled out a large syringe, holding it up so he could study the needle, and Alex watched as Dean's eyes narrowed.

"Sam, I know you think you're gonna try and fix me, but ... did it ever occur to you that maybe I don't want to be fixed? Just let me go and live my life. I won't bother you. What do you care?"

"What do I care?" Sam pulled a flask of holy water out of his jacket pocket as he turned to face his brother, and silence hung in the air as he searched for the right words. Dean's eyes glittered, and Sam unscrewed the flask's lid. "A ritum sacrum," he began, shaking out the water onto the ground at his brother's feet, "hanc terram consecrato."

"You think I'm just gonna sit here like Crowley?" Dean spoke up over the purification ritual, but Sam paid him no attention. "Get all weepy while you shoot me up? Well, screw that. I don't want this!"

"Yeah, I pretty much figured that out." Sam turned back to his table and set the flask down.

"You don't even know if this is gonna work, do you?" Dean continued angrily. "You know, I got a hell of a lot more running through me than just demon juice."

Sam nodded, eyes flickering over to Alex. "Mark of Cain. Got it." He motioned the ex-angel over, and Alex crossed the room to draw up the blood into the syringe for him.

"That's right." A note of smugness lined Dean's voice, and Alex handed the Winchester the needle as she turned back to Dean.

"Alright, get ready." She stepped aside to let Sam through, moving to stand at Dean's side in case the demon decided to struggle.

"Sammy ..." Dean's green eyes came to rest on the needle before they moved up to his brother's face. "You know I hate shots."

"I hate demons." Dean's eyes flashed black at Sam's words, but the hunter was faster. Dean hissed in pain as holy water splashed against his face, and in the split second of distraction, Sam plunged the needle deep into Dean's forearm. "Look, we got a whole bunch more of these to go," Sam said as he stepped away, and the black bled away from Dean's eyes as the blood coursed through his veins. "You could make it a lot easier on yourself."

Dean only grunted in pain, and his head jerked in surprise as the purified blood reached his heart, spreading out through his body. His body convulsed when Alex laid her hand on his shoulder, and she squeezed it gently before she stepped away. "We'll be back in an hour."

Dean snarled as she walked away, and Alex nudged Sam out of the room. "Should we really be leaving him?" Sam cast a glance back towards his brother, but Alex firmly closed the door behind them.

"That was the first dose. He'll be fine for another few hours." Alex led the way back towards the stairs, adding after a second, "Didn't you say that Cas was on his way?"

"Yeah." Her words seemed to have soothed at least some of the hunter's anxiety, and Sam followed her up the stairs. "He said that he'll be here soon. I, uh, I think I'll go see what else I can dig up on this cure in the meantime. Maybe I missed something."

"Yeah. Okay." Alex watched him walk away, and with a small shrug, she moved off towards the kitchen. "I'll see you in an hour."

A hand on her shoulder had her jumping, and Alex yanked the earbud out of her ear as she spun around to look up at Sam. "Hey." The ex-angel pushed away her plate of half-eaten pizza as she looked down at the clock on her phone. "You ready for round two?"

"Yeah." Sam's hazel eyes moved over her meal, and his lips set in a terse line. "I can't even think about eating. Not with Dean ..."

Alex offered up half of a shrug. "Dean's going to be fine," she promised. "No point in starving myself over it." She slammed down the last of her drink and pushed herself to her feet, clearing her throat before Sam could respond. "Alright. Lead the way."

She followed Sam down to the dungeon, pulling open the doors and flicking on the lights. "You're back." Dean's head lifted, and he met their gazes with a cold stare. "And here I was starting to think you'd forgotten me."

"Oh trust me, before this is over you'd wish we had." Alex pulled the doors half-shut behind her, and Sam crossed over to where the blood-filled syringes were laying. "Because first we need to kill off those pretty black eyes, and I'm going to guess that it's going to hurt."

"Or, for all you know, you could be actually killing me," Dean retorted.

"Or, you're just messing with us." Sam turned away and pulled free a syringe. "Either way, the lore doesn't say anything about exceptions to the cure."

Alex leaned up against the wall, eyes narrowed as the demon chuckled. "The lore," he repeated with a disdainful shake of his head. "Hunters. Men of Letters. What a load of crap it all is!" He watched as Sam turned away, but when his brother didn't respond, his gaze turned to Alex. The ex-angel pursed her lips, following in the tall hunter's example, and Dean's eyebrow cocked. "Oh, you got nothing?"

"You want me to debate you?" Sam pulled the blood out of the cooler with a small shake of his head. "This isn't even the real you I'm talking to."

"Oh, it's the real me, alright. Isn't that right, Alex?" Dean's eyes flashed black, but Alex merely lifted her chin. "The new real me — the me that sees things for what they really are. Winchesters. Do-gooders. Fighting the natural order. Let me tell you something — guys like me, we are the natural order. It's the way it was set up."

"Guys like me still got to do what we can." Sam turned back to his brother, weariness weighing down his voice, and his brother's eyes sparkled, entertained by the response.

"Don't be so full of yourself, Sammy. Cause, see, from where I'm sitting ... there ain't much difference from what I turned into to what you already are."

"And what the hell is that suppose to mean?" Alex crossed her arms, and Dean's gaze swung over to her.

"You know exactly what I mean. Crowley told us what he did when he went looking for us. How far he went." His eyes turned back to Sam, a scowl on his face. "So let me ask you ... which one of us is really a monster? Hmm? Starting to come back to you now?"

Alex watched as Sam let out a loud, reluctant breath, and Dean grinned darkly. "You were trying to get a twenty on us from any demon you could snag. But Crowley didn't want to be found, and no one showed when you summoned. But you found a way, didn't you, Sammy? You would have liked to have gotten there before the deal went down, but you didn't really care about poor ol' Lester, did you?"

Sam's eyes widened in hurt at the memory, and Alex pushed herself off of the wall. "Dean. That's enough."

"And you already know that I killed Lester myself," Dean continued, ignoring Alex's interruption. "And her?" His eyes flashed in Alex's direction. "She put down that poor old wife. As well as — how many other people? I'm starting to lose count."

"I never meant —" Sam started, but Dean scoffed angrily.

"Who cares what you meant? That line that we thought was so clear between us and the things that we hunted ain't so clear, is it? Wow. You might actually be worse than me! I mean, you took a guy at his lowest, used him, and it cost him his life, his wife, and his soul. Nice work —"

Alex stepped forward. "That's enough," she hissed, and Sam approached, the syringe in his hands. Dean screamed as the needle plunged into his neck, a real, agonized scream, and concern flashed through the ex-angel as his fingers clawed desperately at the wooden armrests. Sam turned away, his own face dark with the pain, and Alex looked down at the ground, closing herself off to the Winchester's cries.

"Let me ask you this, Sammy." Dean's voice was rough with pain, and he snarled out his words. "If this doesn't work, we both know what you got to do to me, right? You got the stomach for that, Sam?!"

Anger rushed through her, and Alex stepped in between the two brothers. "Sam, get out of here," she ordered, and she ushered the Winchester out of the room. "There's nothing else we can do for him until the next dose."

Sam pulled out his phone, and Alex closed the shelves behind her, glancing over her shoulder to watch the Winchester dial a number. "Cas." Sam pressed the phone up against his ears, and Alex's head perked up at the name of her mate. "Hey, are you coming?"

"Cas?" Alex hurried after Sam as he stepped out into the hallway.

"Yeah, she's here," Sam told the seraph on the other end. "And no, it's not working very well. Look, it — it's not like it was with Crowley. Dean is in pain. I mean, he's in bad pain. It's like he's barely holding on. Cas ... I might be killing him." He ran a hand through his long hair, face scrunched in pain as he listened to Castiel's response. "So ... what? Should I stop?"

Alex narrowed her eyes. Stop? she mouthed back to him. They didn't have the option to stop.

"Cas, did you not hear what I just said?" Sam insisted. "I could be killing my brother. Killing my brother," he repeated pointedly after a second, and then he shook his head. "Yeah, all right. I'll uh ... we'll leave the entry unlocked for you. Just ... hurry."

He hung up, and Alex frowned. "How far away is he?"

"He didn't say. Hopefully not far." Sam brushed past Alex and made his way back into the dungeon, Alex close at his heels. Dean was still in his chair, but his eyes were closed, his body slumped against the unyielding wooden slats. "Hey. Hey!" Sam slapped his brother's cheeks, waking him back up. "Dean! Come on! Come back."

"No." Dean's voice was a hoarse whisper, and Sam's wide eyes turned back onto Alex before his efforts redoubled.

"Come back to me," he insisted. "You there? Hey! Dean, you okay?"

The demon's eyes flickered open, but his voice stayed weak and pained. "Yeah, if you ... consider drowning in your own sweat while your blood boils 'okay.' " He let out a weak cough, and Sam straightened up.

"Look, I can't stop doing this," he started, but Dean coughed again.

"Sure you can," he retorted, and his voice rose angrily. "You just stop! There's no point in trying to bring your brother back now."

Sam's hazel eyes hardened. "Oh, I will bring him back," he vowed, but Dean ignored him.

"In fact," he continued, "your, uh ... guilt-ridden, weight-of-the-world bro has been M.I.A. for quite some time now. But I'm loving the new model." His eyes flashed black, and his chin lifted to hold Sam's gaze. "Lean, mean, Dean." Sam scoffed, and Dean frowned. "You notice I tried to get as far away from you as possible? Away from your whining, your complaining. I chose the King of Hell over you! Maybe I was just ... tired of babysitting you. Or always having to yank your lame ass out of the fire since ..." the demon paused to pretend to think, "since forever. Or maybe ... maybe it was the fact that my mother would still be alive if it wasn't for you. That your very existence sucked the life out of my life!"

Alex's fist came out of nowhere, colliding with Dean's mouth, and the Winchester cut off with a hiss of surprise. "Shut it," she hissed, and she looked back at Sam. "Don't listen to him. That isn't your brother talking."

"You never had a brother," Dean spat. "Just an excuse for not manning up. But guess what. I quit."

"No. No, you don't." Anger danced in Sam's eyes as he spun around to confront his brother. "You don't get to quit. We don't get to quit in this family! This family is all we ever had!"

"Well, then, we got nothing." Dean's words had Alex's fist rising again, but Sam was there in a second, holding her back.

"Stop it," he whispered, and Alex roughly yanked herself away with a scowl. "I can handle Dean. Go wait outside."

"No way." Alex glared over at Dean with a huff; the demon held her gaze calmly, eyes narrowed in a challenge. "There's no way I'm leaving you alone with him." Her gaze turned back up onto Sam as concern flashed across her freckled face. "You don't know what he's like, Sam. He's nothing like he was. Hell, I've been with him every day for the past two months —"

"I can take care of him." Sam's tone left no room for argument, and Alex's grey eyes narrowed, but she reluctantly nodded. "Go wait for Castiel." Sam turned back to his brother, and Alex turned her head away. "I'll take care of things here."

"Fine. I'll be upstairs if you need me." With one last glare towards Dean, Alex shoved her hands into her pocket and stalked away.

Alex's phone buzzed, and the ex-angel looked up in surprise, almost dropping the heavy book she was half-heartedly skimming through. Who would be calling her? Sam was downstairs, still with Dean, and Castiel had promised he was only an hour away. The hunter pulled her phone close, and her eyes narrowed at the name on the screen. "Crowley." Alex pressed the phone up against her ear, face darkening. "I thought I was on vacation."

"Why? Are you doing something important?"

Alex looked down at her empty plate with a shrug. "Yeah," she lied before adding, "We're curing Dean — remember when we tried that on you?" She listened for the demon's hum of agreement. "Fingers crossed it'll be over before the day is done. So what do you want?"

"It has come to my attention that Castiel and his new sweetheart have run into some trouble in the past few minutes. Now, I was on my way to go clean up their mess, but if you're too busy ..."

"No, no." Alex pushed herself to her feet, eyes going wide. "I'm at the bunker. I can be outside in — give me thirty seconds." She slammed her laptop closed as she hung up, and her feet carried her up the stairs. She slipped out of the bunker and into the cold air, and the ex-angel suppressed a shiver as wind whipped through the air. "Crowley?"

The wind grew stronger as the ground disappeared from beneath her feet, and Alex stumbled as the world went black. It returned after a moment, the ground dusty beneath her feet, and Alex huffed out a curse as she regained her footing. Crowley stood at her side, but Alex barely noticed him, her attention drawn immediately onto her mate.

Castiel lay in the dust, blood still oozing from lacerations on his face, and Alex was at his side within seconds. "Cas?" she dropped down next to him, a hand coming out to rest on his barely moving chest. "What the hell? Cas! Can you hear me?"

The seraph's blue eyes flickered open, and Alex heard footsteps stop behind her. "Hey, champ," she heard Crowley chuckle. "Look at you. Talk about roadkill." His hand came to rest on Alex's shoulder, and the ex-angel brushed Castiel's matted hair from his forehead. She could hear a scuffle going on behind her, muffled as if behind a wall, and she glanced over her shoulder towards an old decrepit gas station.

Crowley moved off towards it, and Alex shoved her hands into her pockets, searching for something — anything — to wipe away the blood. "I'm okay." The words were stuttered out through a hoarse throat, and Alex grabbed the angel's hand, curling her fingers through his.

"Alex."

Crowley beckoned her over, and Alex squeezed her mate's hand gently. "I'll be right back," she whispered, and she carefully pulled herself free of his hold. "We'll get you back to the bunker where it's safe." She rose to her feet and made her way after Crowley, reaching back to grab her angel blade defensively. "What's going on —" A hush from the demon had her mouth clamping shut as they stepped through the doorway.

Inside the gas station were two angels. Alex recognized Hannah, held at the throat by another angel. "You killed an angel," she was saying, voice strong and angry despite the blood on her face. "You had to answer for it!"

"That angel would have hauled us back to that Heaven of yours," the stranger snarled, and she yanked Hannah's head back, pressing her angel blade up against Hannah's chin. "You should have left us alone."

"And that will do." Crowley strolled forward, drawing an angel blade from his sleeve, and the strange angel spun around, eyes flashing in surprise. She stalked towards the King of Hell, but the demon was faster. His blade came upwards, the tip sliding through her neck, and the angel stopped in surprise as he grace spilled outwards through the cut. It flowed downwards, and Crowley lifted a small glass vial to catch the glowing essence.

Alex watched hesitantly, unsure of the King's motives, but she stayed rooted on the spot as the last of the grace was collected. Crowley stepped forward, and the angel blade slid through the angel's heart. "Why can't you people just sit on clouds and play harps like you're supposed to?" she heard him murmur in the dying angel's ear, and when he pulled away, the body collapsed to the ground. Crowley slid a small glass top onto the vial, and Alex's eyes flickered down to Hannah. The angel was watching her, eyes sharp with surprise and anger, and Alex lifted her chin.

Crowley turned around, and Alex's gaze turned down to the grace that swirled within the glass vial. "What's that for?"

"You, if you want it." The King of Hell held out the grace, but Alex simply narrowed her eyes. She searched his face, looking for any sign of deception, but it was placid.

"No," she finally decided. "I don't." She stepped aside as Crowley swept past her, and she glanced back towards Hannah. The dark-haired angel's gaze was cold, an unspoken accusation on her lips, and Alex dropped her gaze. "I do what I have to," she murmured, and she followed after Crowley.

The demon was kneeling down beside Castiel, who was pushing away the vial grace with a weak yet firm hand. "Don't be an idiot," Crowley chastised scathingly. "Yes, it's hers, but she was killing your mistress. Your hands are clean. As much as it pains me to say this ... you're useless to me dead."

Castiel's gaze tuned onto Alex, and the ex-angel gave a small, desperate nod. "Please," she begged. "The angel's already dead. Just take it before you die, too." She watched as Castiel's eyes closed, and the grace tipped out of the vial and in through his lips. His skin glowed as the grace overtook his body, and Alex looked down as she felt her own skin tingle. She could feel something moving within, something angelic but not strong enough to be grace, and she opened and closed her fists in confusion.

"You owe me." Crowley recapped the glass vial, and Alex's attention was drawn back upwards.

"Why did you help me?" The seraph's voice was still rough, but his wounds had closed up, the blood dispersing into thin air.

"Purely business." Crowley rose to his feet and brushed off his hands. "Since you're five miles away from the Winchester's Clubhouse, I can only surmise that you're headed there. And that Dean has become a handful. Having him as a demon has caused me nothing but grief. Fix the problem."

"You realize, worst comes to worst ... that means killing him." Castiel pushed himself to his feet, and Crowley's eyes narrowed as he studied the seraph's face.

"I'm not sentimental," he finally said, and he walked away, brushing Alex aside on his way.

The ex-angel reached out, grabbing his arm. "Hey," she started, and Crowley paused, brown eyes meeting grey. "Thank you." The demon only blinked, and Alex dropped her hands to her side, letting the King of Hell disappear.

Crowley was standing next to his Continental, and Alex's feet carried her into her mate's arms. She dug her fingers into his thick, tan coat, pressing her face into his white shirt as she closed her eyes. Castiel's chin came to rest on her head, nose pressed into her hair, and his lips moved against her forehead as he spoke. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Nothing could have hurt me." Alex's eyes flickered closed as she nuzzled into Castiel's warm, solid chest. "I was so worried about you." She looked back towards the gas station as Hannah approached, and her brow furrowed. "Who was she?" she asked Castiel. "Did she do this to you?"

"Her name was Adina. She and Daniel were the two rogue angels that we had gone to speak with." Castiel's face fell, and he exchanged a look with Hannah. "A skirmish broke out, and Daniel was killed. Adina must have been following us since."

"You came here with Crowley." Hannah stopped beside them, and the ex-angel's eyes narrowed.

"Yeah," she agreed. "I did. And you're welcome that we came, otherwise you'd both be dead." She reached down to take Castiel's hand, fingers weaving through his as she disdainfully looked the angel up and down before she turned back to Castiel. "How's heaven been? What have you been doing?"

"I'll tell you in the car." Castiel circled around to the driver's side of the Lincoln, and Alex followed, purposefully taking the front seat to leave the back to Hannah. "We need to get to Dean." His gaze turned onto her as the car spluttered to life, and he asked, "You've been with Dean this whole time, haven't you?"

"Yeah. Crowley's had me babysitting. The Mark turned him into a demon, and a pissy one at that, and I had to make sure he didn't do anything stupid." Alex buckled herself in as the car took off down the dusty road. "I wanted to come back, but Crowley wouldn't let me — he wouldn't let me tell you anything."

"You had me worried. We weren't sure what had become of you or of Dean." The seraph fell silent for a moment before he added, "Ashiel has been asking about you. He doesn't understand why you haven't come back yet."

Guilt pulsed through Alex, and she turned her head away. "Have ... have you found ..."

"Angels located Eremiel two weeks ago. He was badly injured in the fall. Lauren ... didn't survive." Castiel's blue gaze turned onto Alex, dull with remorse. "So many Enaiish have died. There are two back in heaven, you, and Adina, who is now dead."

"Three. There's three of us left?" Surprise pulsed through her, and Alex looked back at Hannah. When she nodded, the ex-angel turned her gaze back to the road. "What — what about all of the fledglings? Have you found any more of them?"

"Only Ashiel." Sadness weighed down Castiel's voice. "No child could have survived the fall, and we've found no signs of any others." He paused, and Alex felt his eyes turn onto her. "How is Dean responding to the cure?"

"I ... It's hurting him more than it ever hurt Crowley." Alex reluctantly let the subject change. Her attention turned down to her hands, and she focused on digging out the dirt from beneath her nails. "Like, it's really hurting him." She looked up at her mate, and her eyes stretched wide. "I don't know if we're killing him, but there's nothing else than we can do."

She watched as the car rolled down the road towards the bunker, and she pulled out her phone to text Sam. How are things going? Castiel and I are almost to the bunker. I'll explain when we're there.

No immediate response came, and Alex placed her phone back onto her lap. "Is Metatron still in heaven? The past two months — so much has happened."

"He's still in heaven's jail." It was Hannah who spoke. "We made the door to his cell permanent. Heaven is slowly putting itself back together."

"Good." Alex's phone vibrated, and the ex-angel looked down at the screen. Dean's out. He's got a weapon. Hurry up. "Ah, shit." Alex slammed her phone back down onto her leg as she looked up at Castiel. "Dean broke free and he's going after Sam. You gotta — you gotta go faster, Cas."

The car jumped forward, hurtling down the road, and Alex felt her shoulders twitch, angry at the lack of wings. We're almost there, she promised, fingers dancing over the keyboard as she typed out her reply. We'll be there in a minute. Just stay safe for a little bit longer. "The Mark's made him really volatile," she explained darkly. "Cas ... you have no idea the things that he's done with it."

"We'll talk about it later." The Continental's wheels spun in the mud as it turned the corner, and the brakes squealed as it slid to a stop. Alex threw open the door and bolted towards the bunker, her ankles protesting as she flung herself down the metal outer stairs. Castiel followed, and Alex immediately fell silent as she slipped through the unlocked door. The interior was dark, lit by the red lights indicative of a lock down.

Alex's angel blade lay on the library table, and she snatched it up, twirling it in her hand as she looked up and down the hallway. "Dean?" Her voice rang out through the empty room, and she looked back over at Castiel. "Go left," she ordered. "I'll go right, and we'll meet up in the middle by the stairs."

She didn't wait for an answer before she slipped off towards the hallway, leaving Castiel alone. "Dean?" she called again, fingers curling in at her side. "Where are you at, you black-eyed bitch?" No answer came, and she dragged her weapon along the wall, listening to how the metal tipped scraped ominously along the concrete. "I know you're out here. What are you hiding from?"

A low chuckle came from behind her, and Alex spun around to find Dean standing at the end of the hall. "Is that how you draw out all of your friends?" he taunted, and Alex's grey eyes flickered down to the hammer in his hands.

"How — how did you get out?"

"All that blood you pumped into me to make me less human? Well ... the less demon I was, the less the cuffs worked." Dean chuckled, and his eyes glittered. "And that devil's trap — well, I just walked right across it. It smarted, but still."

"Where's Sam?" Her eyes hardened into steel as Dean stepped forward, and her grip on her own weapon tightened warily.

The Winchester's voice was casual, lazy almost, and he sauntered up to stop just in front of her. "Just down the hall," he promised. He looked down at her weapon, and the demon chuckled, eyes flashing black. "You gonna poke me with your God stick?"

"Don't tempt me. Because if we can't cure you ... then I guess I get to kill you." Alex lifted her weapon, holding in between her and the demon to keep him at bay while she spoke. "Because I think we both know that Sam's not going to be strong enough to do it."

Dean chuckled, and his eyes flashed black as he knocked her weapon away. "And you really think you are?"

"I know I am." Alex ducked as the hammer came flashing through the air, and she backpedaled, spinning her blade down so she could hold it like a knife.

"Alex!" Sam's voice came from behind her, but the ex-angel didn't tear her gaze away from Dean. The demon snarled at the sight of his brother, but before he could take one more step forward, arms wrapped around his waist, pinning Dean's hands at his side.

"It's over." Castiel grunted in surprise as Dean's mouth fell opened in a roar, and the seraph's eyes glowed blue with his stolen grace. "Dean, it's over," he repeated as the demon yelled out his frustration, but not matter how much he struggled, the seraph held tight. "It's over."

"Get him back downstairs." Alex pressed herself up against the wall as Castiel moved forward, grunting at the effort of carrying the sullen demon. "You okay?" The ex-angel fell in step beside Sam, voice lowered so Dean couldn't hear. "I didn't think he was capable of getting out. Not ... not in his state." She glanced off down the hall, a frown darkening her expression. "And here I thought we were killing him."

Sam didn't respond, and Alex followed Castiel down the bunker stairs, her weapon still held tightly as she warily kept an eye on Dean. The demon had given up his struggle as the seraph deposited him back on the chair, safe within the devil's trap. "You think this is going to hold me?" Dean's chin lifted definitely as his bonds were resecured by his brother, tighter this time, and his black eyes turned onto Alex. "Next time I get out, I'm going to kill each and everyone of you."

"Isn't it time for your next dose?" Alex glanced over at Sam, and the hunter gave a silent nod as he crossed over to the table. Dean watched warily as his brother drew up the purified blood, and Alex circled around the brother to set her angel blade down before she leaned up against the wall, arms crossed.

The demon roared as the needle pierced his skin, his fingernails clawing at the wooden chair in agony as the blood rushed to his heart. Sam stalked out of the room without another word, and Alex watched him go with a small frown. She took a step to follow him, but Dean's low chuckle had her pausing. "I see you got your juice back."

"It's not my grace." Regret weighed down Castiel's voice. "And I didn't want it. Crowley —"

"Of course." Dean's eyes swung back onto Alex, and she watched as the iris darkened, unable to reach their inky blackness with the cure racing through his veins. "Makes sense the two of you are still buddying up. How does Cas feel about that? You told him yet?"

Alex's lips pursed, and Castiel's face scrunched up in confusion. "Tell me what?"

"It's nothing."

"You shot Lester's wife in cold blood." Smugness lined Dean's voice, and Alex's fists tightened at her side, half-tempted to cross the room and wipe the grin right off of his face. "I don't know if I'd call that nothing."

"Crowley told me to get the job done," Alex replied, her voice as even and steady as she could muster, "and that's what I did. I never claimed to be proud of it."

"Please." Dean scoffed loudly at her words. "The job was over the second Lester died. You went out of your way to put a bullet in that whore's skull."

Alex felt Castiel's gaze on the side of her face, and her cheeks flushed beneath his stare. "I did what I had to," she repeated, and her fingernails dug into her palm as she tightened her fists.

"Right. Like you 'had to' shoot your father." Alex stepped back, the air pushed from her lungs like a blow to the chest, and Dean smirked at the breathless noise that left her lips, his eyes flashing in pleasure. "That's right; Crowley told me everything. Even I couldn't bring myself to shoot my own pops, but you ..."

"I didn't kill him!" The ex-angel's voice cracked. "I didn't!"

"Yeah, but you meant to, didn't you?" Dean's eyes bled black, and Alex looked over at Castiel in desperation; the seraph's face was blank, his gaze trained on Dean. "You know, the demons talk about you behind your back. Fallen angel, working with demons. Remind you of anyone?"

Alex's eyes flashed, but she kept her mouth shut, lips pursed tightly together. Her gaze swung back onto Castiel. "Come on." She motioned towards the door, and she turned her back on the demon. "Let's go — Dean will be fine here on his own."

She hurried away, and footsteps echoed on the stone floor as Castiel followed. "Shooting your father? What is Dean talking about?" The archive door closed behind them, and Alex hesitated at the sound of Castiel's low, commanding voice. "Alex. Talk to me."

"What?" The ex-angel's posture grew defensive, and she reluctantly turned to face her mate. "I told you I didn't kill him, so what does it matter? He's alive." She saw how the seraph's lips pursed, and she added, "And the others - so what? I'm a hunter; killing things is what I do." She let out her breath through her nose, her argument almost painfully weak, and she turned away with a shake of her head. "Humans, monsters, it all feels the same. So when Crowley says kill ... it's them or me."

"You know that's not a good excuse." The quiet patience in his voice had Alex's jaw clenching, and her fingers dug into the hem of her jacket. "It's one thing to kill monsters, but people ..? You don't even stop to -"

"Oh, take the plank out of your eye, Cas." Alex spun around, and for a second she was surprised by the anger in her tone. "How many angels did you kill in heaven? Hundreds? Thousands? I could kill twice as many things as I already have and still never come close to what you've done. So shut up!"

The hallway fell silent, and Alex flinched at her own words. Castiel was frozen in place, blue eyes wide in hurt and surprise, and the ex-angel's shoulders fell. "I'm sorry," she murmured, and a step across the room brought her to the seraph's side. She wrapped her arms around his waist, cheek resting apologetically against his chest, and she let out a long, deep breath, eyes squeezed shut as she pressed into him. "I shouldn't have said that."

"No," Castiel quietly agreed, and Alex felt the tension leave his shoulders. "I'm sorry that I upset you. You've been under a lot of stress, between Dean and Crowley, and whatever you've done, you've done because you've had to. I know that much. I shouldn't have provoked you." His lips pressed against her temple, a light, lingering kiss, and then he pulled away. "I should go check on Sam. Perhaps you should keep your distance from Dean for the time being."

Alex watched as he walked away, and her gaze fell onto the ground as he disappeared around the corner. "Perhaps."

Her feet carried her back through the archive door, and she pulled it loosely closed behind her, blinking until her eyes adjusted to the dark. "How'd he take it?" Dean's scathing voice reached her ears, and Alex stepped through the bookshelves to meet his gaze. "Let me guess. He asked you a question, and you blew it way out of proportion? Hurt his feelings?" His gaze searched Alex's, and the corner of his lips turned up in a cruel smile. "Typical. And — one more guess here — he gave you the whole 'it's me, not you' thing, didn't he?"

"Shut it." Alex snatched her weapon off of the table, teeth digging into her cheek to keep herself from saying anything else; he had obviously overheard the conversation. That was it.

"Cassie just loves you so much, doesn't it? Can't see you for what you really are." Dean's voice rose as Alex stalked away without so much a glance in his direction. "You should have chosen Lucifer, you know that? At least he'd have the balls to —"

Alex slammed the door closed behind her, and Dean's voice disappeared, muffled beyond recognition by the heavy wooden door.

Lucifer.

Her fist collided with the wall, knuckles slamming into the rough stone, and pain shot up her wrist. Dean was lying — that's what demons did. Anything they could do to cause doubt and pain. Her fingers tightened around her weapon, and the ex-angel drew in a deep breath as she let her fist fall back down to her side. She could still hear Dean yelling, his words unable to pierce the door, and she scoffed as she turned towards the stairs. "You're lying," she muttered, and she felt some of her anger subside as she spoke the words aloud. "What do you know about Lucifer anyways?"

The library table creaked under Alex's weight as the ex-angel settled down upon it, her feet drawing up to rest on the seat of a chair as she set her drink down at her side. The library was quiet, with neither Sam nor Castiel in sight, and Alex tipped her head to one side momentarily as she listened for any indication of their location. She could faintly feel Castiel's stolen grace, her soul connected to him by a thin, ethereal strand, and she wished she could reach out towards the foreign warmth.

"You can feel it, too." Castiel's voice had jumping, and the ex-angel slithered off the table in surprise.

"Uh, yeah." Alex straightened her sweatshirt as she turned to face her mate, clearing her throat to hide her awkward dismount; she could have sworn he was at least a room away. "Where's Sam?"

"I left him in the kitchen. He's getting ready for Dean's last dose." Castiel stopped in front of her, and his hands came out to rest on her hips, fingers lightly clinging to the thick fabric of her sweatshirt. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine." Alex tipped her head up to kiss him, and the seraph's fingers dug in a little more tightly. She leaned forward, resting her head against his chest as her arms encircled him. "I just missed you." She pulled her head away and replaced it with her hand, curling her fingers over his heart. "Adina's grace isn't very strong. How long do you think it will last?"

"Long enough." Castiel's own hand came to cover hers. "You should take some." His head dipped, but Alex turned her face away before his lips could reach hers.

"No. I don't need it." The ex-angel pulled away with a small shake of her head. "I'll be safe without it — Crowley's deal has its benefits, remember?" Her eyes drifted down to where her hand lay enclosed in his, resting against his warm, solid chest. "You need it more than I do." Silence followed her words, and her shoulders fell with a sigh. "Where ... where'd Hannah go?"

"She's still outside in the car. She's waiting for me to go with her back to heaven."

"They still want you to lead them, don't they?" Alex gently disentangled her hand from his and leaned back up against the table. Castiel nodded, and the ex-angel frowned. "So I'm guessing you've spent a lot of time up there," she added, doing her best to keep her voice light.

"Not as much as I should have." The seraph's face darkened, and his hands fell to his side. "I tried to help Sam tracked down you and Dean, but with my failing grace ..." Castiel trailed off with a small shake of his head. "Perhaps I'll return to heaven for a time. They need my assistance with their rebuilding efforts, at least until they are self-sufficient once again."

"Fun." Alex glanced off towards the kitchen at the sound of footsteps approaching. "Maybe ... maybe once Dean is cured and all, I can come back with you. I know ... I know I'm not an angel anymore, but once — once we find our grace ..."

She trailed off at the look on Castiel's face, and her shoulders fell in confusion. "Alex ... the angels don't hold you in high regard. Not between Lucifer, and the fall, and your soul." The lightest brush of wind ran up her arms, and Alex's eyes momentarily closed as she tried to imagine his wings curling around them. "I'm sure that they'll come around, but for the mean time ... perhaps it's best that you stay away."

"Oh." Alex turned her head away, doing her best to hide her disappointment from her mate. "Okay. I understand."

She could feel Castiel's own regret in the way his hand came up to cup her face, but she refused to lifted her gaze to his face. "I'm sorry. If you would rather I say here —"

"Hey." Sam's voice came from the doorway, and Alex jerked her head away in surprise. "Sorry, am I interrupting? I — it's time."

"You're fine." Alex slipped away from Castiel's side and crossed over to the Winchester, grabbing her drink in the process. "Is he ... is he doing any better?" She finished by clearing her throat, careful to ignore the way the seraph was staring at her.

"No. Not ... not really." Sam's hands twitched at his side, his jaw set, and Alex ran a hand through her hair as the Winchester fell silent. Alex followed him back down the hall, lengthening her stride to walk at his side when she felt Castiel close behind her.

The lights flickered on in the dungeon to reveal the Dean, the skin around his wrists rubbed raw from his restraints. He stirred at the sound of their entry, and a mixture of anger and fear flashed across his face before it twisted into a cold grimace. "Back for more?"

Sam crossed the room towards the cooler of blood, and Alex let Castiel stop at her side as she looked Dean up and down. Despite his scornful words, his voice lacked its normal vibrato, and his eyes were dull with exhaustion and tracked Sam's movements warily, and Alex's lips fell into a frown as the demon barely fought the needle that slid deep into his arm.

His head reared back in agony, limbs convulsing in shock, but the pain faded quicker than before, and the Winchester slumped into unconsciousness almost immediately as the tremors faded, his head dropping to his chest in exhaustion. "What the hell are we doing to him, Cas?" Sam placed the needle back down onto the table and turned to face the seraph with a deep-set frown. "I mean, even after I gave him all that blood, he still said he didn't want to be cured, that he didn't want to be human."

Castiel was silent for several seconds, and when he spoke, he echoed Sam's low, quiet tone. "Well ... I see his point," he admitted. "You know, only humans can feel real joy, but ... but also such profound pain." His blue eyes came to rest on Dean. "This is easier."

Dean stirred, and the seraph fell silent as the Winchester lifted his head. Black eyes blinked in surprise before the inky darkness melted away, dissipating into thin air. Dean's chest heaved in a deep breath, a small groan of confusion and pain falling from his lips, and Alex sidestepped as Sam moved forward, a flask of holy water in his hand. Dean blinked again, green eyes coming to focus on the three of them, and his voice cracked as he spoke. "You look worried, fellas."

Holy water splashed across his face, and, while the Winchester's jaw twitched in surprise, he didn't flinch in pain, nor did the beads of water evaporate in a hiss of steam. Even though Alex couldn't see it, she could hear the relieved grin on Sam's face as the flask fell back to his side. "Welcome back, Dean."

"Yeah ... thanks." Dean's gaze dropped down to the ropes, and Sam immediately set to work on untying his wrists. The bonds fell away, and, with Sam's help, Dean pushed himself to his feet. His legs wobbled, threatening to buckle underneath him, and Alex shifted forward, ready to help catch the Winchester in case he fell.

"Come on." Sam slung on of Dean's arms over his shoulders to support him as he made his way towards the door. "Let's get you upstairs, huh?"

Dean muttered out a reply as the two passed by, too quiet and quick for Alex to catch, and the ex-angel turned to watch them leave. "Wow," she finally said as the Winchesters finally passed from her sight, "just like that, huh? Not going to lie, but I didn't think that was going to work." Her gaze slipped back onto the empty chair, surrounded by the devil's trap, and she reached up to rub the back of her neck with a small shake of her head. "I'm glad he's okay, though."

She felt Castiel's gaze on her cheek, a questioning, curious look, but she cleared her throat before he could ask any questions. "I'm serious," she insisted, turning back to face her mate, and a smile formed across her lips. "I was worried about him for a while there."

"I was afraid that the Mark would prevent the cure from working," Castiel agreed, and he stretched out a hand towards her. Alex stepped forward to take it, tugging the seraph after her as she led the way back out of the dungeon.

The library was empty when they arrived, and Alex paused to listen, ears straining in hopes of catching any sound of the Winchesters' locations.

"They're in Dean's bedroom." Castiel dropped her hand and crossed over to one of the tables where a large book lay. Alex followed, wrapping one arm around his waist as the seraph mindlessly pulled the book open to a random page. "He seems to be doing well."

"Good." The ex-angel leaned her head up against his shoulder, eyes tracing the intricate script that flowed across the ancient page. "Cas, listen ... about what Dean said ..."

"It's okay." Castiel turned the page, and Alex's gaze flitted up to his face. "Dean's back now, and we'll find our grace soon to break your deal." His head dipped down, and Alex leaned up to meet his lips. They parted slightly beneath her touch, and Alex tried to yank her head away when grace suddenly poured forward, warming her veins. The seraph's hand on her cheek kept her there, and though it only took Alex a second to struggle free, it was all the time Castiel needed.

"W-What the hell?" The warmth faded as the connection was severed, and Alex felt her eyes flash with a blue light as her anger brought her newfound grace boiling to the surface. She pushed it down, and the grace circled through her body, searching for a comfortable place to rest before finally curling around her soul. "I said don't do that! It was bad enough with Theo's grace, and he was an angel. Adina — she's Enaaish. Take it back!"

"Alex." Castiel easily held her at arm's length, and Alex huffed. "You're my mate. No matter how little grace I have, I will always share it. You needn't be concerned; I have enough for myself." His hand came to rest on her chest, and Alex felt the small link between the two parts of Adina's grace grow stronger. "I gave you just enough to protect you if you ever need it."

Footsteps sounded behind them, and Alex turned to see Sam enter the library, his shoulders sagging in weariness. "Hey," she greeted. Her voice was sharp, still displeased with Castiel's move, and, when Sam's head snapped up in surprise, she swallowed to soften it. "How's Dean doing?"

"He's, uh ... he's still a little out of it, but better, I think." Sam crossed over to stand on the other side of the table from them. "I mean, I think this whole thing — the blood cure, the .. The all of it — it really wrecked him, you know?"

"Yeah," Castiel agreed, and Alex hummed out her own understanding.

Sam sighed, and for a moment, his voice lifted. "On the plus side, he's hungry again, so I'm just going to go pick him up a big ol' bag of crap food and stuff it in his face myself." His face turned up in a small smile of humor and relief, and he added, "Uh, you guys mind keeping an eye on him in the meantime?"

"Yeah, no problem," Alex promised.

Sam turned to go, but he paused at the sound of his name. "Sam?" Castiel stepped towards the Winchester, and Sam turned in surprise. "You realize one problem is solved, but one still remains. Dean is no longer a demon, that's true. But the Mark of Cain ... that, he still has. And sooner or later, that's going to be an issue."

Sam's gaze flickered over to Alex, and his hazel eyes darkened as he shook his head. "You know what, Cas? I'm beat, man. One battle at a time, you know? So I'm gonna go grab my brother some cholesterol. And then I'm going to get drunk."

He walked away, and Alex watched him climb the metal stairs before she turned to Castiel. "Not me," she half-joked. "I've been hammered for the past two months. What I need is a nap."

"I'm going to go speak with Dean." The seraph extended his hand, a silent offering of her company, but Alex held back. Castiel's hand fell back to his side, and he gave a small nod of understanding. "I won't be long."

"Okay. I'll be in my room." Alex leaned up to kiss him, grace rising up, but the seraph covered her mouth with his own hand. His eyes sparkled, wise to her tricks, and Alex pulled away with a sour smile. "Fine. I'll keep the grace." She knocked away Castiel's hand with a small laugh before brushing past him on her way out the door. "Just come say goodbye before you leave."