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“Ah, Mrs. Butters,” Sheriff Stillinski says with a smile while internally he is fighting a groan. When he was a young deputy, he always thought that Mrs. Butters was just a sweet old lady who was maybe a little bored, maybe seeking some attention. She always had the strangest things to report.
Nowadays, he knows that some of the things she might have seen were… most likely true. And of supernatural origin. If she is here now, it means she saw something and he really doesn't need any more headaches; they've just dealt with the hunters and that fear inducing creature, they really don't need any more trouble.
Hoping to delay the inevitable, he greets her and then directs her to Parrish, the only deputy who would believe her. He can take her statement and pass it on to him.
Only if it does turn out to be something serious, who does he clue in? Scott, Lydia, Malia, and his son all left for college.
Didn't they leave Liam in charge?
But what is a high school senior going to do?
He might have to get Argent involved, or Deaton. Maybe Peter Hale? Oh, he doesn’t like that idea. But he is out of options.
Twenty minutes and a coffee later, Parrish knocks on his door. With a heavy sigh, he tells him to come in and puts down the incident report he's been reading. “Alright, lay it on me. What do we have?”
“Well, Mrs. Butters claims she saw a strange man.”
“Strange? What kind of strange? Are we talking horns now or–”
“Oh, no, nothing like that. Um, she meant strange as in stranger. She knows pretty much everyone in this town, and she hasn't seen him before. She has seen him around the park and the resort. He is…” Parrish trails off, flipping through his notepad before resuming.
“...5’2”, dark hair, blueish eyes, wears a trenchcoat. He is giving off “flasher” vibes,” he says then looks up. “Her words, not mine.”
Noah scratches the back of his neck. Could this possibly be just a regular human?
“I can canvas the area she has seen him around, maybe talk to him?” Parrish offers and Noah nods.
“Yeah, it's a good idea. See what he's up to, then report back. I'll be on channel 8 if it's… not for everyone's ears.”
With a curt nod, Parrish turns and walks away, leaving the sheriff to stand there and hope this isn't something he needs to worry about.
Theo parks his truck near the Beacon Hills park, hoping that this time around no deputies would show up and make him move. The night is dark, no moonlight present, but he can still see well, courtesy of his wolf side.
He is just about to fix his pillow and lie across the back bench when he spots another truck parked across the parking lot. The truck itself is old and nondescript, but it's not really what draws his attention to it. It is a man within. He looks older, a little worn out, with dark hair and… a pillow in his hand?
Their eyes meet across the parking lot and they just stare at each other for a minute or two, both mirroring each other's position, both holding a pillow in their hands.
The stranger suddenly nods and for whatever weird reason, Theo returns the nod, then settles in for the night. He doesn’t know why, but he feels more at ease than he's felt in a long time.
That night he sleeps well and doesn't have a single nightmare. When he gets up in the morning, the stranger and his truck are gone.
“I still think we should have gone to the sheriff's office,” Sam says.
“Cas wouldn’t have gone to the sheriff's office,” Dean replies as he stares out of the windshield. He really wishes that the guy he decided to follow lived in a house and not an apartment building. It's a lot easier to stake out.
Next to him, Sam sighs, then tries to get comfortable in the cramped space of the Impala. It was easier to do when he was younger and not so freakishly tall, but it serves him right for trying to outgrow his big brother. “But you think this random guy has him locked up in whatever that was we saw?”
It was a bunker or something. A hidden room. Under a freaking high school sign. The guy was definitely bad news, Dean could freaking smell them a mile away now.
Okay, so he might be a little unhinged now. He'll give Sam that. But can you blame him? Chuck is on the loose, they have no way of dealing with him, and on top of that, Cas just disappears on them?
Can't be a coincidence.
They tracked his phone to this town, but once they entered it, all they got was this weird interference, so they had to switch to good old fashioned grunt work. Which meant scouring the entire town for him or his truck.
The only thing they found aside from this weird stuck up fishy guy, was that this place seemed to adore their lacrosse high school team. Who even plays lacrosse?! It's weird.
“You got any better ideas?”
Sam opens his mouth to probably give him a few that he definitely considers better ideas, but Dean spots movement by the building and he immediately shushes him. The guy they were following before steps out into the curb, carrying a box. He walks over to his car and looks around, like he’s making sure he's not being followed before getting into the car and driving off.
Dean follows. At a reasonable distance.
Sam, thankfully, keeps his mouth shut.
Coach Finstock keeps yelling from the sidelines, but Nolan barely registers him. He is too focused on the game, trying to keep the ball while Liam protects his back. He just has to get it to Alec and the kid will score. He might be a little unhinged, but he's never let them down.
The opposing team is good, but clearly a little too cocky. They've earned that right after being undefeated for so long, but tonight, that's going to change. Beacon Hills Cyclones are going to win.
An opposing player charges at him, grinning like a cat about to catch a canary, but before he can even get too close to Nolan, Liam steps in his way. In one swooping motion, he levels the guy to the ground. Nolan takes the opportunity to run past them and reach Alec.
The funniest thing, Liam isn't even using his super strength. Just his regular human one and the maneuvering tactics he's learned while playing the game. Nolan used to think that he was cheating, before, when they were enemies, and told Liam that when they became friends and co-captains.
Liam just laughed, then showed him just how strong he really was by lifting 400lbs in weights. With one hand.
(It did take him back to the time he gave Liam what he thought was the beating of his life. He promptly realized that, if Liam really wanted to, he could have leveled everyone in that room to the ground. He was so fucking wrong about him. It irks him to this day. He will forever feel guilty about it.)
“Holloway! Stop prancing around like a Disney princess and toss that ball!” Coach Finstock's words draw him back to reality. Alec is right there and when Nolan passes the ball to him, the other boy catches it with ease. Then, and this is what he does best, surprises everyone by yeeting the ball across the field and right into the goal.
Cheers erupt across the bleachers while the opposing team members just stare, jaws on the ground. Nolan laughs, happy and proud.
He gets the ball to Alec two more times after that.
One time, Alec runs to the goal with impossible speed and scores easily because the goalie was too scared that the other boy would run into him. The other time, he sneaks the ball all the way to the goal while the other team tries to figure out where it is. He leaves them all to chase their own tails and just waltzes to the goal, then slips the ball inside.
That one wins them the game.
Best one ever!
Glancing at the clock, Parrish heaves a sigh. The match is almost over and he's missed it. But he did offer to look for this individual, so he only has himself to blame.
He found the truck Mrs. Butters described yesterday, parked right off the preserve entrance. He radioed in his location and made sure to tell the sheriff what he found. He didn't use the separate channel; he didn't have to. Sheriff Stillinski knew what it meant.
Whoever this man is, there is a pretty decent chance he's involved in the supernatural. No one goes into the woods at night. Not these woods anyway.
Parrish follows the man's trail, leaning a little on his super senses. It is odd, his scent is something he hasn't come across before. It is definitely human, but it feels like there is more to it. Something very specific, very… powerful. And yet not, at the same time.
Parrish thinks he might be looking for the Nemeton.
The only question is, why?
The tracks stop in the middle of a small cleaning. It confuses Parrish for a moment, until he realizes it's a trap. He's been made. A branch cracks behind him and his instincts take over. He pulls his gun, but doesn’t lift it yet as he turns to face whoever is there.
Behind a tree steps out the man Mrs. Butters described. He is indeed just over 5’ tall, with dark hair. The trenchcoat flaps around him as he steps into the light.
“Hold it right there,” Parrish commands, and while the man does stop, it doesn’t feel like he does it because Parrish told him to.
“Identify yourself.” Parrish maintains his authoritative voice and feels annoyance seeping out of the other man.
“My name is agent Spears, and I am here on official FBI business,” the man, agent, says, flashing a badge that is upside down. Parrish frowns at it.
“Why weren't we told about this?”
“Because there was no need to notify the local police department. This is a simple matter of tracking down a possible lead.”
That's an outright lie. Parrish can tell. Still, he steps closer, gun remaining lowered, but he’s not letting his guard down. When he reaches for the badge, wanting to make sure the man really is who he claims to be, the agent expands his free hand and places two fingers on Parrish's forehead.
It surprises him so much that he doesn’t move to stop him.
For a few moments, nothing happens.
Then, agent Spears takes a step back, eyes wide with alarm. “What are you?”
Parrish frowns. There is no way he would be asking that if he weren't a supernatural creature himself. “I could ask you the same thing,” he fires back.
The man goes almost rigid as he takes on a firmer stance. A weird looking dagger slips out of his sleeve and he grabs it, holding onto it tightly. Parrish reacts immediately, bringing his gun up. “Drop it! Now!”
Instead of responding, the man's eyes flare with white light. Thunder rolls somewhere in the distance and Parrish is pretty sure there is a strange sort of shadow appearing behind him, but he can’t be sure, as his eyes remain trained on the man himself and the weapon he still carries.
“What are you?!” The man demands again.
Parrish's eyes flare in response, but he doesn’t fully shift. Not yet. Not until he figures out what he is dealing with and just how dangerous this new creature really is.
Peter really hates hunters. He does. They are nothing but a nuisance. Sure, some are smart and can really do some damage; those are the ones he knows to stay clear of.
But these two?
Their car alone makes so much noise, it's nearly impossible not to spot them. They carry around with them this scent of whiskey, leather, gunpowder, and regret that just screams Hunter, with a capital H.
Usually, he would just kill them off and be done with it, but now… No, he hasn't turned soft in his old days. He's still pretty young and good looking if he may add.
No, it's more of a precaution. They made him. He needs to know what they know and who else they have told. The easiest thing would be to draw them back to the vault, lock them in, and see what's what.
He makes sure they follow him when he steps out of his car, carrying the box filled with some laundry he found lying around.
A smirk tugs at his lips as he hears them stepping closer when he opens the vault door. He picks up every little thing - the rapid heartbeat of the younger one, the way his gun makes a noise when it catches on his jacket. The barest grunt the older one breathes out when his own gun scratches against his skin on his back when he draws it.
Fools.
Did they really think they could just sneak up on him? What do they think he is, a dumb vampire? Ugh. His skin is too perfect for that, give him a break, please!
“Hands up!” The older one shouts while the younger one repeats “hands, hands, let me see your hands!”
So he raises his hands. He has half a mind to show off his claws, but they need to work up to that.
“Turn around!” The older one says, voice deep and unnaturally gruff, like he is trying to make himself scary. Peter is pretty sure he can scream so lovely. Still, he obeys.
“May I ask what this is about, gentleman?”
The younger one seems a little unsure, judging by his brief glance towards the older one. Ah. So he is the one calling the shots. Good to know.
“Dean,” the younger one hisses when Dean doesn't respond.
“Shut up, Sam, I'm thinking.” Ah, Sam. That's a much nicer name.
“Maybe we should get off the street?” Sam suggests. Oh, he is clearly the smarter one.
“Yeah, yeah,” Dean says, then motions towards the open vault door. “Get in there. Move.”
Peter just shrugs and turns to descend the stairs. He is curious if it tells them something. That he is willing to turn his back on them. That he doesn’t find it worrisome at all? Anything? Come on, guys, think a little.
They are about to lock themselves in with a werewolf and all they have are some guns Peter can crush with his bare hands.
They follow him down. When he reaches the center of the room, he turns around and catches both of them glancing around, curious.
“What is this place?” Sam asks.
“My family's vault. This is where we keep our… valuables.” Some special herbs and potions too, but they don't need to know that. Although, considering their reaction when they do spot some interesting things on the shelves, maybe they have already figured it out.
Huh.
Perhaps there is more to them than meets the eye.
“Alright, cut the crap,” Dean says, “what are you?”
Perhaps there isn’t.
“I beg your pardon?” Peter plays dumb just to see how they will react. He half expects them to turn a little insecure, especially the younger one. He seems to be the voice of reason. But the look Sam gives him shows that they’re clearly not impressed.
“You have protection charms all over the place. There are herbs on that shell that don’t even exist anymore. You didn’t even flinch when Dean pulled a gun and you are too nonchalant about this whole thing. You’re definitely something,” Sam explains, and, oh, wow. Looks like Peter has indeed underestimated them.
“I’m thinking a werewolf,” Dean adds with a smirk on his face, “it’s in his stance. He looks ready to drop his claws any minute now.”
“Well, color me impressed,” Peter says. Considering their confidence, there is a good chance the bullets in that gun are laced with wolfsbane, though he doesn’t scent it in the air. Maybe something else. Either way, he has to play this a little more carefully now. “So tell me, since you’re obviously not here to kill me, or you would have done so already, what do you want?”
Dean’s face hardens for a moment, but before he can respond, footsteps echo from the staircase. For a split second, Peter considers lunging for the gun, but he is too far away and he doesn’t want to risk getting this nice suit drenched in blood, his or the hunters.
He regrets it in the very next second when he sees who descends into the vault. He would have been better off dead.
“What’s going on here?” Liam says with a frown. Right behind him is his little squad of pups, that new wolf they found, the chameleon, that kid who was the beast of Gévaudan at one point, and… A human who used to be with the hunters? Peter doesn’t really know any of their names and doesn’t really care.
“Stand back!” Dean yells at them, moving so that he is between Peter and the kids. Like he’s the real threat here. It is a little funny.
Liam ignores Dean, stepping around him and walking up to Peter. “What did you do?”
“What do you mean, what did I do? They are here in my family vault, threatening me with a gun!” Peter defends. Just who does this kid think he is? Oh, right, Scott left him in charge. Right. That’s so cute.
“Hey!” Dean yells, but they ignore him. Liam starts to say something, but Dean butts in again. Feeling a little frustrated at being cornered like this, Peter shifts, eyes flaring as he roars at the stupid hunter. It earns him a punch in the face.
He is too shocked, and all he does is stumble back, cupping his cheek. Liam roars at him, shifting for a moment before he draws back. When Peter glances at the hunters, he can see they look shocked too.
“Fine!” Peter tells the kid, feeling so done with all of it. “You talk to them. I don’t give a fuck.” Liam huffs at him before turning to face the hunters. He doesn’t say anything, just stares at them, waiting.
“Alright, look,” Sam cracks first, reaching for Dean’s hand and making him lower the gun. They are too soft to shoot a bunch of kids, it seems. “We came here looking for our friend. We just want to find him and then be out of your hair, okay?”
Liam frowns at them for a moment, considering this, then his eyes flicker to the other kids. They exchange looks, so adorable, and then Liam speaks up. “Okay. We’ll help you look.”
“You will?” Sam sounds astonished.
“Nobody knows this place like we do. Tell us about your friend and we’ll help you find him,” that new kid says, looking a little too excited about it. The hunters exchange looks, and oh, great, they can communicate like that too. Then they start telling them about their friend, but at this point, Peter has lost all interest. He just wants to leave, maybe go back to the apartment, change and then get a steak dinner or something else nice.
At one point, he hears that beast kid (Mason was it?) that they could check in with the sheriff. The hunters look a little impressed. Thankfully, nobody has any cell service down in the vault, so they all file out of there. Glad that this whole thing might be over soon, Peter follows them.
He sticks around long enough to hear sheriff Stillinski tell them a man fitting his description was spotted near the preserve, that Parrish went in to investigate, but they haven’t been able to reach him in an hour. He says he was about to send in a team there, but of course, Liam tells him not to, that they’ll go.
Peter is so amused by the baffled hunters as they watch Liam take charge. They are all so very adorable.
“Well, as nice as this whole thing was, I think I’ll just go back to my apartment, thank you. Wouldn’t want to ruin my expensive shoes.” Peter tells them. The hunters look back at him sharply, a protest on Dean’s face forming already.
“Let him go,” Liam tells them, knowing better, “he would probably be more trouble than he’s worth, trust me.”
“I resent that!” Peter puts a hand on his chest in mock hurt. “I’ll have you know I can be most helpful. When it suits me. But since I clearly have nothing to gain here… I’ll be on my way.”
The last thing he hears is Dean saying Peter reminds him of some guy named Crowley. Sam counters that he is more like Rowena. Whoever those two are.
Alec is suuuuper excited. He’s heard all the stories about Scott’s pack adventures, and even if this one seems smaller in comparison, it still sounds like a lot of fun. He is bouncing on the balls of his feet, eager for them to get going, but still patiently waiting for all to agree on how to proceed.
The two hunters who have introduced themselves as Sam and Dean Winchester (they are actual brothers, that is so cool) step aside to talk privately for a minute and Alec watches Liam agree. They have super hearing and they can hear every word they say, but they can’t see their expressions. Theo always told him to watch out for people’s expressions. Sometimes they speak louder than words.
He notices a few moments later that one of their friends seems to be missing, but before he can say anything about it, the two hunters turn to them, agreeing to follow them to the preserve. Liam studies them for a moment without saying a word, then asks them “What do you think?”
It’s a weird question and Alec, just like the hunters, looks baffled for a second before he sees Corey shifting into view behind them. Oh, dude!! So cool! He knows he is grinning like crazy at the shocked expressions the hunters make, but he can’t help it. The older one even yelped, hahaha!!
“I think we can trust them. They seem genuinely worried about their friend,” Corey tells Liam as he steps closer to them.
“What the hell are you?” Dean asks, and, ohhh, that is a loaded question. Corey just smirks at him and doesn’t say anything. So freaking awesome.
They head to the woods on foot. Dean grumbles about it, but Sam reminds him that it was either that or trying to fit all of them in the Impala. That shuts him up real quick, much to Alec’s amusement.
Right at the edge of town, they come across Theo. He was fumbling with something in his truck and quickly stepped out when he saw them. As they approach, he throws the hunters one long, suspicious look before he talks to Liam.
Theo freaking Reaken. Alec has heard stories about him too. Stiles didn’t have so many nice words to share, and Scott didn’t really talk about him much, but later, when they were alone, Liam told him all about how Theo helped him during the Wild Hunt and later with the Monroe hunters. He definitely has that bad boy vibe and Alec can’t help but think he is so cool.
“So? You wanna help us search?” Alec hears Liam ask, and all he can think about is ‘yes, yes, join us, Theo’. Even if he looks a little annoyed, Alec is willing to bet he will help. He is just an awesome guy like that.
“Fine,” Theo says with an eyeroll, then glances at the hunters again. A lazy smirk spreads across his face and he takes a step towards his truck. Then, he starts stripping.
Alec is confused for a second before he figures out what is happening, then gets super excited!! This is going to be epic! He shamelessly watches Theo take his clothes off, noticing out of the corner of his eye how weirded out the hunters are. Oh, they are in for a real treat, and they don’t have a clue. The rest of the pack has their eyes respectfully averted and Alec thinks he should probably do that too. But then he spots Liam taking not so subtle glances and he grins. He is so over the moon for Theo, it is ridiculous.
Once fully unclothed, Theo’s smirk widens into a grin. Right then and there he shifts into his coyote form. The hunters gasp and Alec is unable to contain his loud “Yes!!” He thinks Theo winks at him before he runs along into the woods, but he can’t be sure.
“This freaking town, I swear,” Dean mutters, and Alec can’t help but laugh. Sam mutters something about them being in way over their heads and Dean throws him a ‘really’ look to which Sam just shrugs. There is definitely more to it all, and he is itching to find out. They head out into the preserve.
“Oh, this? This is nothing,” Mason tells them, “we’ve seen much worse than Theo’s naked butt.”
“Trust me, buddy, you have no clue what– Ouch!” Dean cuts off when Sam hits him on the arm and shushes him. It all makes Alec so much more curious. The younger hunter puts on a smile and asks Mason what sort of things they’ve seen.
Mason rambles on about the chimeras, mentioning that Theo is one of them and so is Corey. He doesn’t say what’s in the mix, but he does explain the whole thing about the Dread Doctors and the experiments.
“And I’m just a regular werewolf,” Alec supplies, feeling a need to contribute. Sam smiles at him, then turns to Mason again.
“And what are you?”
“Oh. I’m just a regular human. Well, I was the last Chimera and got turned into this big beast, but a friend of ours pulled me out and then our other friends killed the beast, so…”
Sam and Dean just stare at him, looking dumbfounded. It makes Alec grin.
“I’m a human too. Used to be a hunter, but that didn’t stick,’ Nolan adds and Alec can’t help it. He cracks up at the offended expression Dean makes and laughs until his belly starts to hurt.
Sam is quite baffled by everything these kids have told him. It’s like they have their own little supernatural ecosystem in this town. He thinks he should be surprised that they haven’t heard of it before, but deep down he knows it’s probably because it was protected from their view.
Chuck had a separate story to write here.
They tread around the dark woods, the four humans using flashlights while the three werewolves (or is it two werewolves and one chimera that is half werewolf half a camelion of some sort) use their flaring eyes to see in the dark. It’s weird, but they’ve seen weirder.
He just never thought he’d be trudging around the woods with a bunch of kids.
A little voice inside his head tells him that they were even younger when dad started bringing them on hunts, but he shuts that down immediately.
Suddenly, they see a light in the distance, but it looks strange, more like… A fire? Whatever it is, it seems to be burning brighter as they get closer.
“That’s Parrish,” the kid who seems to be in charge, Liam, says. Sam frowns. A police deputy glowing with fire like that? Yeah, why not? Just go along with the weird. Speaking of weird, that black coyote from before joins them, strutting next to Liam like his guard dog.
As they approach the burning man sitting on a huge tree stump, it slowly becomes evident that he is holding something. The closer they get, the more that something seems like someone, and it clicks in Sam’s head at the same time Dean yells “Cas!” and starts running towards them. Sam runs after him.
When they reach Parrish, they stop short. The guy is literally on fire. This upper uniform is gone, fire licking his bare skin, but he looks unaffected by it. There is a very blank, very serious look on his face while his eyes glow with this deep orange hue. He looks scary and definitely not something they would want to cross.
Cas’ limp body lies on his lap and Sam starts to worry that this might be it for Cas. He glances over at his brother and sees the devastated look on his face. Dean can't talk, he can’t move, all he seems to be able to do is stare.
Suddenly, Parrish moves, lifting Cas’ body as he stands with ease. He steps off the tree stump and approaches them. Strangely enough, his flames don't feel hot at all.
“He needs a few days of rest,” Parrish says, “then, he'll be as good as new.”
Sam lets out a huff of relief but it barely registers over Dean’s loud sigh. He looks like he's aged a few years, but also like he would want to attempt to take Cas from the… deputy.
“My truck is at the edge of the preserve,” the wolf turned kid again says, and Parrish nods, then motions for them to lead the way.
“Wh-what happened?” Sam finally snaps out of it and asks what all of them were probably wondering.
“Your friend somehow sensed what I was, and I don't think he liked it. He attacked me and we fought, but we stumbled onto the Nemeton.”
“Nemeton?” Sam hears himself say.
“It’s the tree stump,” Liam explains. “It’s like this weird beacon for anything supernatural.”
It explains why Cas was drawn here. It also means they know he's not human.
“When he stepped onto it, his whole body started emitting this bright light. It felt like he was burning from the inside,” Parrish said. Sam could hear Dean’s shaky gasp, but neither of them said a word.
“I knew I had to do something, so I shifted and allowed my flames to engulf him. To protect him. To… Keep his light from escaping?” He says, or rather asks, unsure of how he even knows what to call it.
“What the heck is he?” The kid who stayed quiet the entire time (Sam thinks his name is Nolan) asks what all of the kids are probably thinking.
“An angel,” Dean responds, his tone soft. Too soft. “Castiel is an angel.”
Well, that went well. At least Liam thinks it did. For his first problem as a pack leader, he'd say he's done well. Even if he didn't really do anything at all.
Okay, he might have made the call to help these guys out, but that's just what he knows Scott would do. He's a little surprised by the fact that the guy they were looking for is an actual angel. It's, like, mind blowing. But also super cool.
Parrish carries the guy back to the edge of the preserve as everyone else treads behind him. Well, everyone but Theo. The chimera shifted back to his coyote form and ran off. Not for the first time does Liam wonder if he abandoned them or just ran ahead to do something else, like start his truck to help get the guy to the hospital.
Oh, shoot, they can't take him there! Melissa did cover her tracks well, but after the whole Monroe debacle, she is being watched closely. He can’t bring another creature to her doorstep.
Huh.
Maybe not the hospital doorstep, but Scott’s room is vacant and Parrish did say the guy just needed some rest. Maybe Melissa wouldn't mind?
Decision made, he tells everyone they are going to the McCall house. Nobody contradicts him and Mason and Nolan even nod, so he feels like he's made the right call.
When they reach the end of the preserve, they find Theo’s truck idling there, with Theo waiting for them in the driver's seat. Liam feels instant relief flooding him, and maybe, possibly a little smile tugging at his lips.
He keeps worrying about Theo. Worrying about Theo leaving, but he is too much of a chickenshit to talk to the guy. He really should do that. Not only is it his responsibility as a pack leader now, but also his responsibility since he's the one who pulled Theo out of hell.
(It has absolutely nothing to do with this fluttering feeling deep in his stomach whenever he sees the guy, no-sir-ee)
Parrish puts Castiel, or whatever his name is, in the back seat, and the older hunter slots right next to him. He obviously cares a lot about the guy, if his chemo signals are anything to go by. It makes Liam glad he decided to help (even if they didn't really do much).
“I can take Sam and the rest in my squad car,” Parrish says, motioning for his car that is parked just down the street.
“Yeah,” Liam says with a nod, “and I'll go with them.” Then, he hops into Theo’s truck and offers him a smile. Theo stares at him for a moment and just when Liam is about to ask what's wrong, Theo puts the car in reverse and pulls out of the parking lot.
They get to Melissa's house about the same time the squad car does. Parrish, now back to human form, but still shirtless, helps Dean and Sam take Cas out of the truck while Liam jogs to the door and rings the doorbell.
He knows Melissa will probably be angry at them, but he also knows she won't turn them away. She is too kind and knows they have no other place they could really take these guys.
The front door swings open and Liam is left standing there speechless. He has been expecting Melissa. He has not been expecting Argent, in his boxer shorts, looking all sleep rumpled. The man takes one look at them all, heaves a deep sigh, and turns back towards the inside of the door.
“Mel! Do we have any extra sheets?”
***Half an hour and some explanations later***
Liam stays behind with the two hunters and their angel, feeling protective over Melissa and even Argent, even though he knows they are perfectly capable of defending themselves. The others go back to their homes, promising they'll be back in the morning.
Dean stays by the angel's side, taking up the extra bedroom, while Sam gets directed to Scott's old room. Liam takes the couch, telling them it's perfectly fine for him. As others retire for the night, Argent lingers around. He seems to have something to talk to him about.
“I've heard of them,” he says, voice quiet. Liam frowns as Argent heaves a small sigh.
“The Winchesters. They are well known hunters,” he adds, then sits on an armchair. “Word got around that they are bad news, that they got mixed up with some serious stuff.”
“I also knew their father. He was a really… complicated man.”
“Are you saying they can't be trusted?”
“No,” Argent replies after a beat. “I'm just saying, be careful. Not a lot of people who got tangled with those two lived to tell the tale.”
“I don't plan on getting involved with them in any way. They showed up here, looking for their angel friend.”
“Good,” Argent says with a nod. “But also… Don’t lose their number. Just in case.”
Castiel wakes up warm and cozy. He feels something pressing on the side of his chest and when he looks down, he finds Dean there. Unable to help it, he smiles at him. Things have changed a lot between them in the last few weeks, ever since this whole thing with Chuck started. Dean has been more attentive, more present. Less angry.
Like he fears if he loses Castiel, this time it might be for good.
Castiel remembers wanting to help him get rid of this fear. That's why he came to this town. Only he had absolutely no idea what the outcome might be.
He takes a deep breath and lets his dormant senses awake. It has been so long since he felt his grace shimmer under the surface, strong and alive. Despite lying down, he lets his now healed wings spread across the whole room. They move through the furniture at ease, remaining in their own, hidden plain.
It feels incredible. To be a full angel again. He doesn’t really understand how it happened and how a half human, half hellhound was able to contain him like that, but he is grateful.
With his grace, he searches the house. Sam is in a room across from them, also sound asleep. There are two more people, one of them a hunter, sharing the master bedroom. A young werewolf drools on the couch in the living room.
And that boy he saw at the preserve a few days ago. That boy who has been torn down and built back up over and over. Who's been to hell and back. He is outside, across the street in his truck, just waking up.
Castiel can tell he stayed, worried about the people in this house. Worried, but too insecure to come inside.
Castiel feels like this town has bestowed a great gift upon him. Perhaps there is a way he can repay at least part of the favor.
He moves slightly, hoping that he won't wake Dean before he returns. He makes sure that the hunter is comfortable on the bed before he takes a breath he doesn’t really need, and with a single thought, appears by the truck outside.
It feels good to stretch his new wings.
Theo startles, looking back at him with wide eyes, but Castiel just smiles at him and turns to bask in the first few rays of the sun. It allows the boy to take a moment to compose himself, throw on a hoodie and step out of the truck.
It feels so incredible to be able to sense these things again without having to see them with his human eyes.
“Um, hey?”
“Good morning, Theo,” Castiel says when the boy comes closer, but not too close. He is wary and rightfully so. “It’s a beautiful morning, isn't it?”
“Uh, I guess?”
Castiel cannot help but smile at how insecure he sounds. He doesn't know much about him, and while he could learn everything with a simple touch to his forehead, he doesn’t really have to. He's seen enough to know he and the boy have a lot in common.
“There are some amazing people you have in this town,” he says next, hoping Theo would take the bait. And he does.
“They’re not my people.” He sounds defensive. Castiel knows he hit a sore spot.
“Maybe not all of them. But some are,” he says. Theo is about to retort when Castiel turns to him sharply, cutting off any words that were about to be said.
“I have existed for over two millennia. But I have only lived for the past fifteen years, truly lived. And the one thing I have learned is that running isn't the answer.” It might have been a lesson he's learned very recently, but Theo doesn't need to know that.
“The reason you can't stay away, you keep coming back is because deep down you know this is your place. You should stick around with your family. Your pack.”
“They’re not my pack,” Theo replies softly, and a part of him really believes it.
“Just because you're different from them, doesn't mean you're not family to them. It's a lesson I learned years ago. Family don't end with blood. And it don't start there either.”