Chapter Text
“I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT YOU BROUGHT TWO HUNTERS INTO MY HOTEL.”
Emma was seething. After some brief introductions, Emma had grabbed her old friend, Benny, who had supposedly been popped from purgatory after 50 years, and forced him into the hotel’s back room, which she’d renovated into an apartment for herself. There, in her living room, she gave him a nice, long “welcome back” lecture. She hadn’t even bothered to change out of her bloody, tattered clothes. “And not just any hunters. Sam and Dean Winchester. I know you’ve been gone for a while, but those two, they have a pretty good reputation for killing anything they find.”
“Let me explain-” Benny started for about the hundredth time. But Emma wasn’t done.
“Yes, I know, Benny,” Emma cried. “You came here after finishing some business with your old vamp buddies and you were told that I’d gone off on a hunt a few weeks ago and never checked back in. You then proceeded to come to the conclusion that because your new BFF Dean is hunting a demon who’s after the tablets, and I happen to know a thing or two about the tablets, that you should call him and ask him if he knows where I might be. A hunter, Benny.”
“Well, first of all, you’re a hunter, too, and as it turns out-” The look Emma gave him made him stop short. Though she had been one of his dearest friend, she was also the scariest. The fact that she was covered in blood didn’t help.
Benny sighed and, slowly, tried to start again. “Look, Emma, after I met...Andrea, way back when, you were the one that, after a brief attempt at chopping my head off, taught me how to, at least try, to be human again. You showed me where to get blood from so that I wouldn’t have to hurt anyone. You got me a fake ID. Hell, you even got me a real job. I owe you a lot. So believe me when I say that I wouldn’t have brought Sam and Dean here, or their angel friend, if I didn’t trust them.”
Emma’s expression softened slightly at this, though Benny could tell she was still furious. “What exactly did you tell them? When you called?”
Benny shrugged. “That you knew about the tablets and I thought the King of Hell might be privy to that information.”
“And did they ask how I knew about the tablets?” Emma asked.
“Of course,” Benny said.
“So what did you tell them?”
Benny allowed himself a smirk. “I told them they’d have to ask you.”
Emma let out a breath, relieved. “Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it,” Benny said, then hesitated before asking, “So, what did you tell him? Crowley, is it?”
“Nothing,” Emma said, shaking her head. “He might think he’s good at torture, but I’ve had worse.”
Benny nodded. “And what about the angel you showed up with?”
“I don’t really know,” Emma admitted. “But Crowley put him through a lot worse than he put me through. And...I don’t think he handled it very well.”
Before Benny could respond, the door to Emma’s apartment burst open, and Sam and Dean Winchester came charging in, followed by one of the desk attendant’s, Kate, a blonde, college-aged werewolf who’d showed up at the hotel not long before Emma had been captured by Crowley. All three looked annoyed.
It was Dean who spoke first, a finger pointed at Emma. “I want you to tell me what’s going on here.”
Emma blinked at him innocently. “In regard to what?”
Before Dean could respond, Kate cut in, “He seems to think we’re building some kind of vampire/werewolf army to take over the human race,” she explained. “Also, we keep getting phone calls about how you showed up covered in blood in the middle of the hotel lobby with an angel. And that there was already an angel here. And two hunters. What exactly am I supposed to tell them?”
“Tell them that they’re friends,” Emma said, shooting a glance at Benny that clearly said, They better be. As Kate turned to leave, Emma turned to Dean. As politely as possible, she explained, “We are not, as you say, building an army. It’s simply a place that provides refuge for vampires, werewolves, and the like, who don’t, you know, want to kill people. I assure you, that’s all.”
Dean looked incredulous. “That’s all? I’ve been a hunter all my life and I’ve never heard of a place like this.”
“Well, we wouldn’t exactly want you to, would we?” Emma said. “Have you ever read Harry Potter?”
“What?” Dean said.
“I have no idea if that’s a yes or a no, but in Harry Potter, there’s a magical school called Hogwarts that has enchantments placed on it that keep Muggles - normal people - from ever finding it. Also, the Ministry of Magic has loads of other ways of keeping magic a secret,” Emma said.
Dean stared at her. “So, you’re saying that there are magical enchantments on this building so that hunters can’t find it?”
Emma nodded. “Yes. Unless we, for some reason, want them to.” She shot another glance at Benny.
“And exactly how long has this been here?” Dean asked.
“Oh, about a hundred years, give or take,” Emma said. “It says on the sign out front. There’s one in Shanghai that’s been around way longer, though. And the one in London...”
Dean still didn’t look convinced. “So, what? You want me to believe that a bunch of pro-human monsters hang out in a hotel together and braid each other’s hair?”
“If you want to think of it like that, sure,” Emma said. “We also try to bring in newly-born “monsters” and try to encourage them to be...pro-human.”
“And where do you get your...stuff from?” Dean asked.
Emma raised her eyebrows. “You mean like...blood? We have donors.”
“Donors?”
“What? It’s not that weird,” Emma said, suddenly defensive. “People donate blood to good causes every day, so what’s so different about this? Granted, it’s not something you’d talk about over dinner, but...”
“What about werewolves? What about the ones that need...organs?”
“We have several morticians who are more than willing to help us out. We always do our best to provide for those who need it,” Emma said. “And, because I’m sure it will be your next question, we have cells down in the basement for werewolves, during the full moon.”
At this point, Dean looked back at his brother to see if he was buying it, but Sam was too busy glaring at Benny to notice. Emma made a mental note to ask the other vampire about that later. Presently, it seemed, Dean had more questions for her.
“So-”
Dean was cut off by the two angels entering the room, and Emma found that she was pleased to see them. The angel she’d rescued, Samandriel, unlike her, had bothered to clean himself up. She hadn’t really noticed when he’d been covered in blood, but the fact that his vessel’s name was “Alfie” and that he worked at a Wiener Hut was of great amusement to her. However, she didn’t think now would be the best time to mention it, as the angel appeared to be upset.
At last, Dean turned his attention away from Emma and turned to the trenchcoated angel, Castiel. “Did you get anything out of him?”
Castiel glanced at the other angel, who ducked his head. “Well, Samandriel is the one who gave Crowley the other prophet’s names, but that’s all-”
“Son of a bitch,” Dean cursed, rounding on the other angel. “You’re an angel, and you couldn’t-”
Castiel’s voice was sharp. “Leave him-”
For all of a nanosecond, Castiel blipped out of existence, and then was back, “-be.”
Neither Sam nor Dean, nor Castiel himself, seemed at all bothered by this, but Samandriel’s head jerked up in surprise, and Emma and Benny exchanged a glance.
“You’re going to defend him?” Dean said angrily. “Some of those people died, Cas.”
“Um...Cas?” Emma said hesitantly, before the angel could respond to Dean. “Where did you just go a second ago?”
The angel turned to her. He frowned. “Pardon?”
“She wants to know where you flew off to mid-sentence,” Benny said. “That’s not exactly normal behavior, you see.”
“I...don’t know what you’re talking about,” Castiel said, exchanging a glance with the brothers, who seemed equally confused. “I haven’t gone anywhere.”
“Yes, you did,” Samandriel said quietly, looked both concerned and thoughtful. “They must be wiping your memory. And they don’t want the Winchesters to know...” A light bulb seemed to go off in the angel’s head. “Perhaps that’s why they brought you back.”
“I thought you said you didn’t know anything about that,” Castiel said.
Samandriel chewed his lip. “I don’t, but... I need to go to heaven.”
Before anyone could argue, there was a whoosh, and the angel was gone.
Inias’ heaven of choice was of 1988 Machu Picchu. It belonged to Howard Downing, who’d died of AIDS in early 1989. Samandriel found Inias standing on a hill overlooking the site, watching Howard take photographs with his girlfriend down below. The other angel looked surprised to see him.
“Samandriel?” Inias said. “Where have you been? I’ve be looking for you, as have Ariel and Laylah. We asked Naomi if she’d sent you somewhere, but she said she hadn’t...”
“She had,” Samandriel said, letting another puzzle piece fall into place. “She sent me to Earth to retrieve the demon tablet from an auction. The King of Hell captured me from there, and has been torturing me for information. I’ve only just escaped.”
A look a horror crossed Inias’ face. “Oh, Samandriel, I’m so sorry. If I’d have known... I don’t know why Naomi would have sent you... that’s not your job... And why would she lie about it?”
“That’s what I need to find out,” Samandriel said. “What do you know about Castiel?”
“You think he has something to do with it?” Inias asked, perplexed.
Samandriel studied Inias closely, then shook his head. “You don’t know he’s back, do you?”
Inias looked lost. “Back? From...purgatory?”
“Yes,” Samandriel said. “He’s with the Winchesters. I was just with them. He... he was saying something, and then he disappeared for a moment, then reappeared. He, nor the Winchesters, seemed to have any recollection of it. I can perhaps understand the Winchesters not noticing because they’re human, but Castiel... someone must be wiping his memory. And there are few among us who have the power to do that, especially to Castiel.”
“You think... Naomi?” Inias said. Samandriel could tell he was having a hard time processing this. Naomi had always been kind to them, but...
“Who else?” Samandriel asked.
Inias nodded slowly. “I’ll go and talk to her.”
“I’ll go with you,” Samandriel said automatically.
“No,” Inias said. “It’s going to be dangerous, even for me. If Naomi’s planning something... it’s unlikely that she’ll be happy to be questioned. Go back to Earth and keep an eye on Castiel. I’ll come to you when I can.”
Before Samandriel could say anything further, Inias was gone.
By the time Samandriel returned, Emma had shooed everyone back into the hotel. She had finally washed, and changed into pajamas, and was currently watching Classic Who on her couch. When the whoosh came, signaling the angel’s reappearance, the vampire nearly jumped out of her skin. Not that she’d ever admit to it.
“You know, I could’ve been naked,” Emma said.
“I’m...sorry. I meant to go to the lobby again, but this place is somewhat hard to find,” Samandriel said.
Emma looked pleased. “Good. I don’t want anymore angels popping in here.”
Samandriel hesitated. “Well, there might be one more...” Emma’s face fell. “But he’s trustworthy. You needn’t worry about him.”
“Better not,” Emma mumbled, then asked, “So, what happened in heaven?”
“I spoke to Inias...the angel who might be coming. It seems no one knew that I was assigned to come to Earth. Or that Castiel is back,” Samandriel said. “Inias went to talk to Naomi, to see if she’d tell him anything.”
“Who’s Naomi?” Emma asked.
“She’s...our new leader, of sorts. Someone needed to take charge after what happened with Castiel.”
“Ah, yes,” Emma said, “I must get more details about what happened with that. I do believe I recall seeing him on the news some time ago. He killed some campaign workers, I believe. Among others.”
Samandriel looked uncomfortable. “Yes... Well, I think I should go find him now.”
“Don’t bother,” Emma said as the angel made to leave. “I’m pretty sure the Winchesters have got it covered. After me, you, and Benny freaked out about the whole disappearing thing that they can’t seem to see, those two aren’t going to let him anywhere out of their sight. Not that that’s likely going to help, but at least let them pretend for a bit, eh? You ever watched Doctor Who?”
“I...don’t know what that is,” Samandriel said.
Emma pointed at the TV. “It’s a show about an alien that travels the universe in a blue box.”
Samandriel glanced at the TV. “I don’t think that’s possible.”
“It doesn’t have to be possible, it’s television,” Emma said. She patted the couch. “Come on, watch.”
The angel glanced around the room and found the angel blade propped up in a bookshelf, far out of Emma’s reach. “You’re not afraid I’m going to kill you anymore?”
Emma shrugged. “If you really wanted to, I suspect you’d have done it by now.”
Samandriel studied the vampire for a moment. She was pretty, he supposed, with shoulder-length brown hair and hazel-colored eyes. She was shorter than most humans, only 5ft. And she was young, barely older than a child. Or, that’s how she appeared, anyway. When he’d touched her soul, he’d realized just how old she really was. Not as old as him, but old.
Though he knew that there were more pressing matters, Samandriel found himself taking a seat beside the vampire and turning his attention to the TV. He listened as Emma started to explain a bit more about the show, and how the current “companion” of the man called the Doctor was Sarah Jane Smith, and how she was Emma’s favorite. They watched a few episodes with her, and Samandriel found that he quite liked her, too.
Sometime later, around the early hours of the morning, Emma said that she ought to go to bed. Awkwardly, Samandriel stood up. “I guess I’ll go and find Castiel, then.”
“It’s kind of creepy that you guys don’t sleep,” Emma commented, yawning. “Also, you should change out of your vessel’s clothes. I just can’t take you seriously in that.”
“What’s wrong with-?”
Whoosh. A figure crashed into the room, stumbling over the TV. Both hit the floor.
“Inias!” Samandriel said. He rushed to the figures’ side.
Emma took a step back and glanced toward the angel blade on her bookshelf, then at the newly arrived angel. He was brown-haired and dressed in a suit and tie. He was also bloody, and had yet another angel blade sticking out of his stomach. Emma suspected it had been meant for his heart.
“Who did this to you?” Samandriel asked, though he already knew the answer.
Inias coughed and blood spattered on his lips. Emma was not certain he could speak, but then, it came, barely a whisper.
“Naomi.”