Chapter Text
Dean frowned as he opened the door to the third run down motel room of the week. He really didn’t like the combination of gold-colored handle and cheap IKEA-timber.
The inside furnishings of the room were even less appealing to Dean but still he fell into one of the two motel beds as soon as he was inside.
“Sorry Cas, we only got a room with two beds, but you don’t sleep anyways, right?”, Dean heard his younger brother ask a question he already knew the answer to, just to be polite. As if Cas would even care.
“No, problem Sam, you know I’ll –“
“- just watch over you”, Dean interrupted his best friend.
“Exactly”, the angel said with a smile that told Dean that he didn’t understand that he’d just been made fun of. He rolled his eyes. Whatever.
“So, while you were driving, I found out a little bit more about our case”, Sam said and sat down on an uncomfortable looking lilac armchair in the corner of the room. What was with this interior design.
~
Sam didn’t know how often he’d already tried the oops-there’s-only-one-bed trick but looking from his brother laying on the bed to the angel standing beside him he was sure it – once again – wasn’t working. Whatever. Let them die lonely and miserable. Whatever.
Sighing Sam started explaining the case: “If the storms and the short-sicknesses are something to go by, we’re looking for Mariamman witches. As influencing weather and health are like the main powers of those kind of witches.”
“Witches? That’s not too hard then”, Dean said, staring up at the flowery ceiling as if it had personally insulted him.
They were in a little village in south Texas, where a really weird sickness had made a round. The patients had gotten extremely sick, with dangerously-high fever in combination with pustules and puking their guts out and then – form one day to the other – everything had been fine again.
Which was all fine and dandy but still very, very weird. Also there had been some hurricane level dangerous storms destroying the surrounding countryside of the village in the same timespan in which the sickness had broken out. Similar to the sickness the storms didn’t actually hurt anyone but still it was all very, very weird. So when Castiel showed them the headlines, Dean and Sam had agreed to check out what was going on.
In Addition: Sam was pretty sure that Dean hadn’t been able to say no to a Cas, who’d been so proud of finding a case for them. Sam had seen the look in his brother’s eyes and he just knew it.
“No, not just witches”, Sam shook his head slowly, “ Mariamman witches. They aren’t as easy to kill as normal witches.”
“Great. Always nice to find something new that’s harder to kill than the normal thing”, Dean said.
“Dean, we already saved the world. I’m sure a few witches won’t be that hard to get rid of”, Castiel said.
The hunter gazed into the distance: “Won’t be too sure about that. It would be just Chuck’s style to let shit like tetanus or something kill us in the end. Just for hilarity. Survived the devil himself but a rusty nail…”
“What does this have to do with the witches, Dean?”
“Nothing. Just thinking. Things I sometimes do, ya know.”
“Don’t talk so bad about yourself all the time. You are a smart man”, Castiel frowned
Dean blushed: “…yeah, yeah… Whatever. Now. How we gonna kill those witches?”
“I didn’t find anything about killing them yet, just a lot of lore and even that is pretty inconsistent. Sometimes they are described as beautiful and good, sometimes they are talked about as the bad ones”, Sam shrugged.
“So maybe neither our special kill-Bellatrix bullets nor Bobby’s ancient hocus pocus may work? Great. Just great”, Dean grumbled.
The younger Winchester frowned: „…I mean we don’t even know if they are evil yet. Maybe we should just talk to them first? You know before killing them. After all nobody has died yet… maybe the illness and the storms were just mistakes or something. Because in the lore it says that they’re really powerful so if they’d wanted to kill someone, there’d probably already be someone dead. And considering where the sickness and the storms started I'm pretty sure I know where the witch coven is at home, so a little visit would be easy."
Sam knew that a few years ago Dean would’ve instantly objected but not anymore. They knew now that not only black and white existed.
“I mean people nearly died”, Dean said unconvinced.
“Yeah, but then they were healed instantly, as if someone realized the mistake, you know?”, Sam said, “and everybody can make mistakes. I mean look at us.”
The older Winchester sighed: „…I hate it when you’re right. But we still shouldn’t go to them without having any idea how to protect ourselves.”
Sam shrugged: “I mean we have something to kill nearly everything in existence…”
„Also you have me. I’m pretty sure even if your… hocus pocus doesn’t work I’m pretty sure I will”, Castiel said.
„Don’t say it like that, man“, Dean said, „makes it sound like you’re just some tool.“
The angel smiled: „I know I’m not.“
Sam rolled his eyes while his brother and his friend stared at each other. Someday. Someday he’ll just smash their heads together.
Sam coughed: „…So we’ll just go talk to them then?“
~
„Always disappointing when witches or monsters in general don’t live in caves but in places like this, huh?“, Dean stated as they stood in front of a white, modern estate with large, sparkling-clean windows, that was the only building in the vincinity of a hundred miles.
„It’s a really pretty house“, Castiel said, inspecting the row of cacti which grew in the large garden.
The older Winchester wrinkled his nose: „I don’t like it. It’s too perfect.“
The angel opened his mouth but before he could say any more about the cacti, he was interrupted by Sam: „So. You wanna talk a little bit more about the house’s exterior design or can we go in now?“
Dean blushed: „…sure.“
The older Winchester fixed his tie and then rang the doorbell. Almost instantly the door flew open and a beautiful, blonde woman smiled at the angel and the two hunters as if she’d been waiting for them all day… which she actually might have been. Sam hated witches.
“Good afternoon, we’re from the Certified Commercial Property Inspectors Association and here to inspect the water pressure of buildings in development areas, would it be okay if we came in?”, Dean said with the practiced ease of someone who lied for a living.
The blonde looked at the fake CCPIA badges for a second before she started to laugh: “You don’t have to lie. I know who you are.“
Instantly Sam straightened up, his one hand on the knife in his pocket, the other on his pistol. Out of the corner of his eyes he could see his brother doing the same.
„And who’d that be?“, Dean asked with a strained voice.
„You are the Winchesters and the fallen angel“, the woman smiled, „but don’t worry. Me and my sisters won’t hurt you. We’re here on earth to maintain the balance between health and illness, between storms and sunshine. And you saved the world already. Neither are we your enemies nor are you ours.“
Sam an Dean exchanged looks. Believe or not to believe.
Castiel took a step forward. The blonde woman didn’t seem put out as the angel tilted his head and stared at her for nearly a minute without saying anything.
“You’re not lying”, Cas finally said, “and you’re… really old.”
The blonde laughed: “Honestly! You don’t say something like that to a lady!”
“You’re not a lady, you’re the matriarch of an ancient witch coven”, Castiel said.
Another laugh: “Can’t I be both?”
The angel squinted his eyes. “…I guess so?”
Dean coughed: “Soooo… you’re no bad news. That’s cool. However you already know our names but we don’t know yours, seems a bit unfair doesn’t it?”
“You’re right, where are my manners?”, the woman said, “I’m Alena, like your angel said I’m the head of a witch coven… do you want to come in then we can talk about why you’re here.”
The older Winchester shrugged and exchanged another look with Sam: “Don’t see a reason why not.”
“Wonderful!”
The house looked as posh inside as it did from the outside. Sam got why his brother grimaced at a golden chandelier.
They stopped in a large white room with four doors. Three large white couches where assembled around a delicate table that was made out of entwined cords which glittered in silver and gold. The walls were decorated with numerous mirrors in every size and design.
With a hand gesture the witch motioned the three men to sit down.
“Can I get you anything? Maybe tea or cookies?”
Before Sam could say ‘No, thanks’, Dean grinned charmingly at the witch: “Cookies would be great.”
Alena smiled and turned around, most likely to get cookies from the kitchen. Or look for the simplest was to get rid of them.
Sam rolled his eyes: “Really, Dean?”
“What? I’m hungry!”
Sam scoffed: “Whatever.”
“Do you really not like the design of the house?”, Castiel asked and turned his head to Dean, “I find it very pleasing on the eye.”
Dean wrinkled his nose: “Really, Cas? They have golden vases with silver-coated roses in them.”
The angel shrugged: “It reminds me of heaven.”
The short silence that followed that statement was mercifully broken by a teenage girl with brown curls rushing into the room.
As suddenly as she stormed in, she also stopped running in favor of just standing, and staring at the three men on the couch in front of her.
Or more accurately: Standing and staring at Dean.
“Oh my god!”, she shrieked, “it’s you, it’s really you!”
Cringing Dean pointed a finger at himself: “Me?”
The girls eyes widened so much that Sam was worried they might pop out: “Your voice is as wonderfully deep as it’s described in the books!”
“The… books?”, Dean asked weakly.
“I think she means the Supernatural books”, Sam said to his brother.
“You think so?”, the older Winchester said with a raised brow, “how astute of you. I thought she meant one of the other book series that are about us.”
Cas tilted his head: “There are other books about you?”
Dean sighed.
“I’m Magdalena by the way”, the girl said, gingerly sitting down on the couch across from Dean, “I obviously already know all your names!”
In that moment Alena came back into the living room with tea and some cookies. Seeing Magdalena she sighed: „…I’m sorry. My sister has a bit of – of an obsession…“
„With Dean?“, Sam asked with raised brows and side eyed Castiel. Like he’d thought the angel didn’t seem too happy with Magdalena. He wasn’t in full out I’ll-righteously-smite-you-to-death-mode but he wasn’t too far from it either. Sam had to stifle a laugh. It was honestly hilarious than an eternal celestial being was jealous of, what was essentially, a teenager with a celebrity crush.
The older witch sighed once more as she sat down and placed the cookies and the tea on the table: “Yes, you could most definitely say that… she’s a really big fan. You know, she’d been a fan of the Winchester gospels before she was told that everything supernatural is real. We only introduce our young ones to the world of witches at the tender age of one-hundred –”
Dean raised his eyebrows: “…and they don’t think it’s weird that they look like sixteen at the age of one-hundred?”
Alena shrugged: “We don’t have a lot of contact to the outside world. But what I wanted to say is: She’s something like a sixteen year old fangirl who just found out that her fictional hero is real –”
Dean grimaced at that while Magdalena stared at him as if he was one of the world’s wonders. Or something really delicious to eat.
Sam smirked and clapped his brother on the shoulder: “Hey, you have your own personal Becky now!”
The older witch coughed, seemingly a bit irritated by being interrupted once more: “So when she found out that you’re real, her new found magic went a little wild and that’s why –“
“Those storms and the sickness broke loose”, Sam said understandingly.
Alena nodded: “Yes. I hope you can forgive us. I promise we didn’t want to cause any harm and as soon as I realized I stopped everything and –”
“You’re so pretty”, Magdalena interrupted the older witch, obviously not listening to a word that was said.
Dean blushed: “…thank you.”
“Can I hold your hand?”
“…I think you’re a little young for me.”
Magdalena sighed as if Dean had just said the most heroic thing she’d ever heard: “You’re such a noble man!”
“I’m really not.”
Alena nudged her sister: “Stop this. Now.”
“But he’s so –“
“I said stop!”
Sam stifled a laugh. Dean glared at him while Cas glared at Magdalena.
Alena looked at Sam with pleading eyes: “So, what do you say?”
The younger Winchester grinned: “I don’t know what do you think, Dean? Think we can forgive Magdalena?”
Dean rolled his eyes but played along: “I don’t think there’s a reason to punish someone, I mean who can resist my boyish charm?”
“You’re nearly thirty”, Sam said at the same time that Magdalena screeched: “Yes, you’re really charming.”
“I don’t know if we can just let this slide”, Castiel said with something like an audible pout, “people were hurt, Dean.”
“Cas, we started the apocalypse”, the older Winchester said, “I think we can sympathize with making mistakes.”
The angel grumbled something incomprehensible at this, Sam once more stifled a laugh. He could see Alena doing the same, now that it was clear that no one would try to kill anyone the witch seemed to find the situation as hilarious as he himself.
Dean clasped his hands: “Okay, thanks for the cookies but I guess it’s time to go now, or what do you say, Sammy? Cas?”
“Yes, Dean, I think that’s a marvelous idea”, Castiel said and instantly stood up.
Sam smiled: “Yes, let’s go.”
“But!”, Magdalena screeched, “I wanted to get to know you! I have so many questions! What’s your favorite color and your favorite pie? How’d you describe your relationship with your father? Since when do you have suicidal thoughts?”
The younger Winchester felt his good mood fade as his brother blinked at the young witch: “Wow. That got really dark, really fast.”
“Please stay for a coffee?”, the girl all but plead, “or a Whiskey? I know what’s your favorite Whiskey!”
“Sister”, Alena said, “stop this.”
With a hand gesture of the older witch Magdalena instantly stopped talking. She seemed to have suddenly lost her voice as she opened her mouth but nothing came out.
Dean looked at the girl with worried eyes: “Yeah… let’s go.”
“Dean, she made you uncomfortable I can still –“
“Jesus, Cas, she’s a teenage girl… or something like that. Just let us get out of here.”
Alena bit her lips and stretched out her hand: “I’m really sorry.”
Sam shook the witch’s hand: “It’s all good don’t worry. As long as you make sure no one else gets hurt it’s all good, no harm done.”
“Only to my mental health”, Dean muttered behind him.
Sam gave an awkward laugh and then a lot of things happened at the same time.
Magdalena suddenly rushed forward, sent the teapot flying by doing so and clamped onto Dean’s hand which was stretched out to shake Alena’s.
In a matter of milliseconds Castiel and Sam realized what the teenage girl was going to do and even though there didn’t seem to be an immediate danger, the angel and the hunter tried to catch the witch’s hand before she touched Dean. The result was that all of them touched Dean’s hand at the same time.
And then everything went black.