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“I got a bad feelin’ about this, Sammy,” Dean said as he stalked back to his car so he could head to the next location. “Bobby didn’t say anything about changelings and demons workin’ together.” He slid into the driver’s seat and slotted the key into the steering column.
“He didn’t even know about changeling involvement until you called him earlier.” His brother snarked at him, and he could picture a classic bitchface with an eye roll. “How would he know about the demons? I looked. There are no demon signs in the area.”
Baby roared to life.
“Headin’ to the Mortons’ house next.” He pulled the shifter to reverse out of the parking lot, pausing for a motorcyclist passing by. “Whoever Bobby is sendin’ to help better get here fast. I don’t want you goin’ in by yourself, ‘specially knowing who’s involved.”
He could hear Sam take a deep breath, his version of cutting off some comment he knew would probably make Dean gripe and mother hen him.
“Ideally, I’ll sneak in, get a look around to verify how bad it is, make sure all the kids are still okay, then if I can, I’ll wait for whatever hunter Bobby is sending. You be careful too, Dean.” Sam paused thoughtfully. “If there’s been nothing but blood in all of the parents’ houses, they may not hesitate to move forward with their plans for the kids.”
Dean shuddered. With research from both the lore nerds, Bobby and Sam, Changelings usually stole humans similar to a mockingbird. They needed human meat to feed their children, so they would take the child, then have the changeling kid shift to match their face, body, build. The human parents were ‘weirdly’ attached to their offspring, according to a previous hunt, so the mothers would just believe their child was going through a phase and protect the replacement until their own death, not knowing that their own children were being used as food for the mother changeling.
What the demons were doing working with the changelings was even more worrisome. Demons usually had their own plans within plans and rarely worked with other supernatural species. And they all had a hard on against the Winchesters.
“Alright,” Dean said finally. “Just be careful. With all the government SUVs in the area, if the Mortons’ house is the same, they may just be in custody. I’ll head your way once I know more and provide a diversion so you can get the kids out. Be safe, Sammy.”
*****
“It’s definitely one of them,” Natasha said softly into the com as she pulled the helmet back down over her face. “That car is a definite giveaway.”
Her motorcycle may have been created in SHIELD R&D, but she and Clint had modded it themselves. Now it had a shallow, nearly invisible button that muted the loud engine and added a visual field that made it seem to blur into the background.
She was relieved Hill had gotten the SHIELD team out of the area before the Winchesters’ car appeared, coming around the corner, the big, beast of a muscle car, a shiny black. The engine was noticeable, even if it was a rough, growling purr. Still, it matched the description from Fury’s urgent request to get them to this small city, where they had spent the last visiting houses on a list from a mysterious contact of Fury’s.
It had been listed as a child-trafficking ring, something she and Clint took extreme pleasure in cutting off at the…knees. Anything waist down, at least. They were good at it and with their handler, Coulson, they should have easily brought down this ring themselves, but Fury had insisted on a show of force.
Clint had already alerted them about oddities with the kidnappers and all of the families at these addresses had been all suffering under the same malady. She had helped Hill direct the teams to step in, bringing the family members into custody.
The parents had all been odd, but the children, were chillingly reminiscent of her sisters in the Red Room, cold, manipulative. Thankfully, Coulson and Hill had taken her advice without question, separating them all while they tested each person.
*****
It was a matter of a few minutes before he pulled onto the street outside the last house on the list. Before he could get close enough, he realized there were several more of those ubiquitous black SUVs parked on the street. It might not have been noticeable, as the well-off neighborhood had its share of pricey vehicles, but these weren’t the first ones he’d seen while checking on the parents, and there were multiple people moving in and out of them in dark clothing. A few wore business suits. Every one of them was armed.
He kept going as though just passing through, but he allowed himself to rubberneck, like any non-suspicious civilian. It was its own agony as he realized Baby was very conspicuous and loud, so several eyes swiveled towards him.
One pair belonged to a tall, slender woman in all black leather, her dark hair pulled back in a severe bun, one of those devices in her ear that allowed her to communicate hands free. Her expression didn’t change as she locked eyes with him, giving him some serious government spook vibes. He could almost read her lips. She could have been reciting poetry, but it was more likely she was giving a description of him and his car to her superior.
He couldn’t help himself, so he grinned at her just as there was a thump on the front of his car.
He slammed on brakes, his head swiveling around, catching the brief flash of curly, red hair as someone disappeared below the hood. The feminine voice that cried out had him leaping out against his better judgement. He had to get to Sam, but he couldn’t leave this woman in the street if he had actually hit her.
Here he was, just round the corner from where the alphabet goons were swarming the Morton house. He would have been able to count himself safe to speed on his way to help his brother.
On the road in front of his car, another woman, wearing jeans, a starkly civilian thing, was slumped, her curly, red hair covering her face as she curled forward over her hands that were braced on the asphalt. She moaned softly, something that pulled at Dean’s heart.
“Hey. Hey, sweetheart. You okay?” Dean crouched next to her and began to reach out to check her over.
*****
Natasha couldn’t believe how the Winchester brothers had made it this long. The younger was supposed to be the intelligent one, as well as the most empathetic. The older was the muscle, but extremely overprotective of his brother. The fact that not only had the man not scarpered as soon as he’d seen the SHIELD vehicles, but had actually only put a turn down a side street between himself and Hill before he’d stopped for her.
Sure, she was currently pretending to be a clueless civilian, something she’d done a lot in the past, and was sure she’d do in the future, but this was one of the most wanted men in the US. Or had been if he wasn’t ‘dead’.
When he reached down, she moved.
*****
Faster than he’d have thought possible, she moved and she moved him. He blinked and he was on his stomach with the redhead sitting on his lower back, trapping his weapon under one of her thighs, his hands gripped tightly in between his shoulder blades. He knew instantly he’d been played, and that this woman, whoever she was, was talented.
The tall, slender woman with the bun was sauntering towards him from the sidewalk. She appeared to be in no hurry though, but had to have teleported to get there so fast.
“Mr. Winchester,” the woman with the severe bun said, coming to a stop a few feet from his face. He strained to look up, watching her cross her arms, one booted toe tapping, eyes narrowed as they raked over him.
“Uh,” he replied eloquently, “My name is Harold Kakoris, sister. Says so on my license.”
He felt his wallet being tugged from his back pocket, but none of the pressure on either of his wrists let up. One raised eyebrow and a painful attempt to look over his shoulder later, his wallet was handed off to bun-lady.
“Uh, huh,” she grunted, thumbing through the contents. “Harold Kakoris is a 43 year old Jewish man from Oregon.”
Dean tried to look offended.
“I don’t look Jewish enough for you, lady?”
The redhead on his back openly scoffed, before she released his wrists. As she rose, lifting her slight weight from his lower back, he could feel her lightly slap the back of his head, like Bobby liked to do when he thought Dean was being an ass.
*****
‘Astounding’, Natasha thought to herself.
She knew she had gotten stuck with the family protection part because having to watch the kids would have left her emotionally vulnerable. Clint knew that, not that he thought any less of her for it. He had had his own childhood trauma, but he was used to making that trauma work for him, where she had been taught that no emotion was acceptable and any visual emotion was only to be a manufactured one, to use in manipulation.
Clint had given her the freedom to figure out what emotions are were real, what emotions she wanted to show or not, someone she could trust if she wanted to scream, or laugh, or cry.
He also showed her that he had hidden depths. Sometimes eye-rolling, silliness depths. And this wanted criminal, who didn’t seem to be doing more than pretending he was not one of the most wanted men, wasn’t exactly hiding his emotions.
Natasha had a fleeting thought that maybe his brother was like her, the very put upon other half of a dangerous duo.
*****
“Ow,” he muttered, shifting to his knees, rubbing his wrists in front of him.
He turned his head to look at what he could see of the redhead.
She wasn’t as tall, was way more curvy. Her hair was a mass of soft curls that seemed to bounce as she moved. Her features were sculpted as fine as any he’d seen, green eyes just a shade different than his own. Before, she’d appeared soft and vulnerable but the way she stood now, feet slightly apart, hands busily breaking down and putting back together his handgun, which he was just now noticing the lack of, she could have been some new supernatural being he’d never met, but knew instantly she was dangerous.
She lifted one delicate eyebrow in his direction before spinning the gun to offer it back to him, butt first. He took it as he rose to his feet, turning to make sure he could keep his eyes on both of them. Both of these women scared him in different ways.
“I’m sort of in a rush right now,” he heard himself say, “but would either of you be interested in a really fun time later?” He watched the women share a glance. “Or both of you. A Dean-centered oreo?”
“I thought your name was Harold, Dean.” bun-lady said with exasperation. “I’m Deputy Director Hill.”
“A Hill I could die on,” he smirked as he offered his hand. “At your pleasure.”
The redhead made a sound, but he’d swear her expression never changed.
*****
‘Dear god,’ Natasha thought to herself. ‘There are two of them.’
*****
“And I could be persuaded to let you tie me down and have your way with me,” he shifted to wink at her.
“Not sure you would survive that, Mr. Winchester,” Hill shook her head at him, handing him back his wallet. “Fury’s comment makes so much horrible sense now.”
“Fury?” Dean knew that name. “You mean, Nick?” He was suddenly vibrating as he thought about the implications. “Damn it, Bobby.”
“Natasha,” the redhead said, glaring at him. “Natasha Romanov. This is Deputy Director Hill.”
“We’re with SHIELD,” Hill told him. “We’re here to help, I think.”
‘Damn it, Bobby!’ Dean thought loudly. He had heard of SHIELD. He hadn’t known that Bobby’s friend, Nick, worked for them, but it told him more than he wanted to contemplate. Not only did they know who he really was, they had a heavy presence here, and a heavy helping of dangerous people.
“Are the parents dead?” he asked slowly, deciding he didn’t have time to continue teasing and flirting if they really were here to help.
“We didn’t get to Carla Borland in time,” Hill told him. “But the rest are being treated at a nearby facility.”
“The kids?”
“We recovered all of the twins,” she said, frowning. “They’re being tested, by psychologists and physicians. If it’s something chemically induced-.”
“They’re not human,” Dean cried, tensing up. “They’re dangerous!”
“So are you,” Natasha glared at him. “And it’s iffy that that you and your brother are human.”
“You don’t understand,” Dean said, brushing past them to slide into his car as the door was still open. “They’re shapeshifters, not twins. The human kids are still with the monster mommy.”
“We’re aware of the kidnapped children, Mr. Winchester,” Hill said, holding his car door open. “We have agents in the area, prepared to take down the trafficking ring. You need to let us-.”
He twisted the keys to bring Baby awake before he growled.
“Lady, I don’t know what you think you know, but my brother needs help and you better alert your guys to not leave your ‘recovered twins’ alone with anyone who isn’t prepared to kill them.” He yanked the door out of her hand, slamming it. He heard the sound echo, realizing the redhead, Natasha, had slid into the passenger seat, pulling the door closed just after he did.
“Well?” She told him, looking forward over the hood, watching Hill turn to stride quickly back towards the Mortons’. “Let’s go help your brother.”
*****
If there was one thing she knew, anyone who was willing to stand up to Hill’s glare and her own danger vibes, who wore his emotions like this guy, had to be telling the truth. Not to mention that Coulson had alerted her through her Delta com that Clint was likely in trouble.
No way she was letting this guy get to the scene and leave Clint outnumbered. ‘Harold’ was basically ignoring her, which was fine for now as Coulson was filling her in on what he knew so far, which wasn’t much. The kidnappers had gotten the upper hand and he was currently under their control and Winchester’s brother was the enemy of their enemy.
*****
He was too confused and worried to challenge the woman riding in his brother’s spot, so he paid her no attention as he dialed his phone to check in with Sam, who answered the phone after two rings, his voice strained, breathing fast, which prompted Dean to press the pedal harder.
“Dean?” Sam asked.
“You okay?” Dean asked. “Where’s the bitch?”
“Yeah, we got her. She was working with demons.” Sam’s breathing didn’t lose any of the tension, but he sounded relieved.
“Who’s ‘we’?” Dean gripped the phone tighter, trying to ignore the questioning look from Natasha.
“Get the kids away first, Dean,” Sam commanded.
Dean knew that tone, too. Sam was hurt, but he had made up his mind to save the civvies first. And he was right; the kids were truly innocent and needed to be taken to safety first. Dean frowned to himself as he wondered if any of SHIELD’s agents might be preparing to take down Sam, for which he’d be too late to do anything.
He was seriously contemplating breezing past the kids he saw running down the middle of the road, but one tripped and he slammed on breaks, both him and Natasha jumping out to help them.
“Sam, I swear to God-,” Dean started, but Sam cut him off.
“I think I got gum on my shoe,” he said. There was a moment of silence, then Dean sighed, taking the youngest boy from the older one carrying him and tucking him in the back seat. He and Natasha helped all four get settled, then he paused to lean his head on the edge of the roof of the car.
“My handler is en route with a clean up team,” Natasha muttered quietly with a shrug. Dean was already tense and could only turn away, speaking fast and from the gut.
“If you’re not back at McQueen’s by midnight, and you don’t call the other line,” his older brother said, “I’ll find a way to bust you out.”
“Love you too, jerk,” Sam chuckled.
“Stay safe, bitch,” Dean responded before hanging up, sliding back into the car.
*****
“The closest SHIELD safe house is not far,” Natasha told him quietly, her eyes flicking back to watch the kids in the backseat, her only tell of her worry. “My partner is with your brother.” She tried to give Dean a forthright nod. “They’ll be fine.”
Dean watched two of the black SUVs rush quietly past them as he turned the Impala in the direction Natasha pointed out. Looking back into the backseat, he saw the older boy throw his arm around the little boy’s shoulder, both holding each other tightly. The other two appeared to be in shock, blinking slowly, tears still falling.
“Once we get the kids to safety and reunited with their parents,” he said softly, “if Sam doesn’t show, I’m going to have more than words with Bobby. After I take down SHIELD to get my brother back.” He huffed. “‘Just an old fishing buddy’, my ass.”
Natasha tilted her head and choked on a laugh. By the time Dean glanced at her again, her face was again emotionless.