10

I pulled my car carefully into a gas station not far out of Portsmouth, Maine. It had been a long two-day drive from home. It would've been easier to 'fly' us all there but we weren't sure what equipment we needed. And not knowing where to land was a bigger safety issue. I stretched in the driver's seat.

"Can you pass me the old box in the glove box?" I asked Ketch as he looked over yet another crime report for Kittery. 

Ketch, barely acknowledging my request as he read, reached forward and popped the glove box open before retrieving a small wooden box with a metal clasp. There had once been paint on it, but it had been so used now that most was worn off or chipping. And the clasp that held it closed didn't take much convincing anymore to pop open and reveal what it held inside. I dug through it carefully until I found the badge I had been looking for and handed it back to Ketch to put away.

"Do you mind getting gas while I go inside?" I asked, gently tapping his arm with the box to get his attention.

Those slate grey eyes focused on me, taking a second to process what I asked before taking the box back from me. "Of course." 

He swiftly stepped out of the car and I followed suit, promising I'd find a snack for Ally as I did. She had been quiet most of the ride, though it hadn't been a tense silence. Sure, she was worried and a little scared, but she mostly seemed excited to be out in the world. To see just how much alike it was to her own. 

I pushed into the small gas station store, a bell above the door jingling. I could feel the cashier's eyes on me as I walked around, pretending to study all the snacks until I found the perfect one. I approached the counter casually once I'd found the things I'd wanted.

"You're not from around here." The cashier was blunt as she spoke.

"Nope. From out of town. Happened to be going through on business." I flashed the fake badge. It was as close to a perfect replica of the newest FBI badges as Sam could make them. But to the unknowing eye of a normal person, it was flawless, and more than enough to ask whatever I wanted.

"I've been tracking someone for a while now and got a tip they might've come this way." I pulled out my phone and pulled up an image of Elly. She still smiled in this one. "Have you seen her at all? It's most likely been a few days since she'd have been here."

The cashier paused, taking a second to look at every detail of the image I had presented. "Ya. I remember her. Pretty little thing."

"How long ago was she here?" I pressed.

"Uh…$15.26." I pulled a twenty from my pocket and passed it to her. "It was probably around last Thursday night. Maybe Friday morning?"

"Did she say anything while she was here?" We were already five days behind.

"No. She was quiet." She passed the change back to me along with the bag of snacks. "It was odd though."

"How?" I questioned as I juggled everything back into place.

"She came in with two other guys. They looked pretty intimidating. Big, leather jackets, tattoos. She seemed nervous." The cashier shrugged. "It was like they forced her to be here or something."

"She didn't look like she was here willingly?" Shit.

"Not really. She bought something and left without a word. Those guys stayed pretty close to her though."

"You happen to see which way they went after?" We needed to hurry.

"Towards Kittery."

"Thanks." I turned to leave, but another question made me stop.

"Why are you looking for her?"

"She was kidnapped. Been missing for almost a week now." I gave her a kind smile. "Thank you for the help."

I left the small building and made my way back to the car, Ketch already in the passenger seat again, propping the door open with his foot and tablet in hand.

"Anything new?" He asked.

"She was here. Two guys were with her and she didn't seem to be with them willingly." I sighed.

"Starships?" His nose scrunched as he said it. "I hate that name."

"I think it's funny." I leaned down to kiss him before passing the bag of goodies to him. "We need to keep going."

I rounded the car and climbed back in behind the wheel. Ally spoke up as I turned it on.

"She was here?" She must not have heard everything I'd said to Ketch.

"She sure was, kid," I answered. "But don't worry, we're not far behind."

"Alex?" I looked at her in the rearview mirror.

"Yes?" I smiled softly as I felt Ketch' hand slip into mine.

"How do you plan to get rid of all the monsters?" Her eyes were as blue as the sky. "They're all over the world, aren't they?"

I took a minute to think as we pulled back onto the main road. "I don't know." I was honest. I had never had some grand plan, I had just been rolling with the punches since I'd woken up again. "No idea at all. But I'm going to keep trying. Someone has to."

"What about the ones that don't hurt humans?" She sounded just like Elly. "There had to be some that are good. Like my dad."

I chuckled. There was no easy answer to that. "You ask some tough questions, kid."

"I'm sorry. I just…I want to help, but I'm not sure how I can." I heard her crumple against the backseat. "I want to make sure I don't hurt anyone that doesn't need it."

There was the angel half of her. Despite the mood swings and growing powers she had little control over, she was still just a normal teenager. She was bright, beautiful, and took after the angel as much as she took after her mother. I could only hope for a child as good as her one day. Some day maybe, once this was all over.

"Right. Get some rest, we'll start the real job tomorrow." I said, tossing my pack into an armchair that sat against the window. 

This room was a touch nicer than I had gotten used to. Fresh white sheets, no oddly stained wallpaper from the '90s, a flatscreen TV instead of a box, and even the bathroom had a clean walk-in shower. Ketch had refused to get another motel to stay in, and he had been willing to pay so I hadn't fought too hard against it. That thought dragged me back to just how low on money I was myself. I'd have to make a day of shooting pool or a decent drag race to get some more. Not that I needed it anymore with the ability to make a person do what I wanted and forget I ever asked, but I didn't like to do that. I had that done to me once when I was human, so I wasn't keen on doing it to others just yet. Especially not innocent hotel staff.

"Where are you going?" Ketch asked as I pulled the car keys from my pocket and reached for the door.

"Going to grab a drink." I shrugged. "I don't sleep and it sounded more fun than sitting here watching you both all night." His grey eyes narrowed and I noticed Ally's blue eyes question me. "I don't need to sleep, kid. I'm honestly surprised you still do. You shouldn't have to either." Her eyes brightened with understanding briefly before the confusion set back in, this time inward. "I'll be back in a few hours." Ketch shook his head but didn't stop me as I passed him and left the room.

I realized that I didn't exactly need my keys as I stepped into the warm night air. It was nice enough to walk and I was sure in a town as small as Kittery, there was at least one bar within walking distance. Plus the walk would help clear my head a little. 

The town itself felt soft and cute as I walked its streets. The buildings were old and most had a hint of a European feel to them. The sound of the ocean came in on the breeze and added to the serene feel of things. It made the night almost too comfortable.

I found a bar not much further down the strip and made my way inside. A beer was in my hands in a matter of seconds and I took a slow sip, letting the bitter amber liquid slide over my tongue and down my throat. It chilled an ache of worry that had started to set in deep within me. I motioned to the bartender as I put the bottle back onto the counter. The older man walked over and I slid my fake badge across the counter to him. He picked it up and examined it like they all did.

"Am I supposed to be impressed with this?" He said, bored. He tossed it back to me.

"Not at all, was just hoping it open you up for some questions." I opened my phone, pulling up the picture of Elly again. "I'm trying to find her. She was kidnapped about a week ago. Was able to track her here. You see her at all?"

He took my phone for a second before handing it back with a shake of his head. "Can't say I have. Hope you find her soon. Now, excuse me." He turned away from me as the bell attached to the door jingled with the arrival of new people. "What can I get for you?"

I watched for a second, taking another drink. Had I missed her? It was possible if they had already moved on, but it didn't feel like something those monsters would do if they were already set up somewhere. But the cashier at the gas station could've made a mistake too. There were plenty of blonde women in the world after all, but something still told me she was here. Just hidden.

"Hey." The bartender sighed but turned back to me with a roll of his eyes. "Has there been anything weird happening around town?"

"Look lady, I do not get enough tips to notice weird things happening around town." He leaned against the bar, and I was too familiar with the look in his eyes.

I dug my wallet out of my pocket and took a hundred-dollar bill from it before passing the bill across the counter. The man gave it an odd look like he wasn't sure it was real, even as he held it up against the light of the bar. 

"There's been a few new rumors around town." He finally replied, shoving the bill into his pocket. He motioned for me to lean closer as he spoke. "There have been some bodies turning up on the beach. There's been a new one every week for about a month now, but then the other day, several turned up all in one night. But the local PD won't give out any details. We don't even know the names of most of the victims."

"Any idea about the killers?" I asked softly.

"Don' know." I sighed and fished a few more twenties out. He was going to kill the rest of my funds. But he smiled and continued. "People think it's the new drug trade going around."

"Drug trade?"

"Ya, there's been a new drug showing up at parties and in back alleys. Some hardcore form of ecstasy or something." He sighed. "My cousin swears he saw someone die from it. She started bleeding from her eyes and complaining about how hot she was before collapsing. The coroner said the cause of death was 'brain boiling'. She had a crazy fever of one hundred and eight or something."

"And those are the bodies turning up?"

"As far as I know." He looked back up as the bell rang again. "I'll be with you in a minute!"

"Where's it coming from?"

"I've got other people to help, ya know." I cursed under my breath but pulled the last of my cash out. "I'll give you my cousin's number after I help these people. He knows better than I do."

After how much I had just overpaid him, this better lead to something new.

"You should be asleep," I said as I entered the hotel room as quietly as I could.

Ally was sitting in the chair next to the window, her knees pulled up to her chest, looking out into the night-covered city. Ketch was fast asleep on one of the beds. Another reminder of just how mortal he was. It made my chest hurt.

"I can't sleep," Ally said, sounding like she had been crying. I carefully stepped over to her and pulled another chair to sit next to her. Her eyes were indeed red and puffy. "It's all my fault."

"What is?" I asked softly, reaching gently for her knee. I gave it a small squeeze, trying to encourage her to continue.

"That my mom left." That ripped my heart more.

"She's an adult, Ally." I tried to give her a kind smile. "And she made her own decisions."

"I said some mean things to her, though." Ally whipped her cheeks and sniffled. "I blamed her for dad leaving."

I winced. That comment going straight through my heart. It was a dull ache now, thudding hard in my chest. What had I destroyed? I had been so careless of their feelings. Of their family.

"Ally…" I tried, the words I wanted to say suddenly seeming too far away from my tongue. "Your dad left because of me." Those blue eyes met mine, eyes that were more his than hers. "I uh…I did something pretty bad and they started fighting because of me. But I'm going to fix it." What the Hell was I talking about? I had no idea how to fix what I had broken, or if it even could be fixed in the first place. So why tell her that I could? "I promise." And I had done it now. Those words would most definitely come back to bite me in the ass. But it felt right to say them all the same. It was as if I couldn't hold them back even if I wanted to. Like two halves of me were fighting for control tooth and nail.

"What did you do?" I couldn't tell her.

"That is a story for another time." I cleared my throat. "Why don't you go take a shower and then try to get some rest." I patted her knee gently and stood from the chair. I turned to step away but froze with her next question.

"You and my dad were close, right?"

It took me a moment to think of a proper answer. "As much as an archangel and his true vessel can be."

Ally didn't reply, simply walked past me quietly and disappeared into the bathroom. I sighed with relief when I heard the water start to run. I didn't want her to know. Not about the nights I had spent with him, not only recently, but before. When he had been using me for nothing more than trying to convince me to let him in. To use me as his weapon. She didn't need to know that and I was on thin ice as is. I felt like I needed to prove I was still somewhat human too, and not the demon Elly had made me out to be. That somewhere, somehow, I was still me.

The long hours of the night drug their claws through the sleeping earth slowly. Soon enough though, I was the only one still awake in the quiet room. I had always found the night to be difficult when I was around humans now. There was nothing for me to do as they slept. I mean sure, I could go to Hell, but then I wasn't here to protect them. 

Soon enough though, the sun began to creep over the horizon and pour in through the small window. At a more decent hour, and when early morning television had begun to bore me to death, I called the number the bartender had given me.

The line rang for longer than I would've liked, but a very upset-sounding teenager answered eventually. "What the fuck do you want? It's fucking eight in the morning…"

"Is this Carter?" I chuckled softly. "Luke gave me your number."

The teen cleared his throat and I could hear fabric shuffling in the background as I assumed he sat up. "Did he now? What can I do for you miss? Need some company on this lonely day?"

I huffed a laugh. "Not quite. I'm looking for drugs."

"Oh. You're one of those calls. No fun." Carter sighed. "I'll set you up with my dealer. Whatcha lookin' for?"

"The new stuff. Heard it's killer." I emphasized the last word, making the joke clear. The phone fell silent, and for a moment I thought he had hung up. Then there was more rustling in the background.

"You sure, missy? It's some pretty hard stuff." He cleared his throat again. "I wouldn't mess with it."

I looked up quickly as I caught Ketch moving out of the corner of my eye. I lowered my voice. "I'm sure I can handle it."

"Ok.." He sighed. "But if it kills you, this ain't coming back on me."

"Have you seen someone die?" I asked, trying to sound innocent. "From the drug, I mean."

"Luke tell ya?" Carter groaned, the fabric rustling again. "That like him to say stupid shit. Ya, I did. I don't like talking about it either. Still have nightmares. And that's not why you called."

"Fair enough. When can we meet up?" I watched as Ketch sat up, his hair ruffled from sleep. I smiled as his still sleepy grey eyes found me, and held a finger to my mouth.

"Just meet me at Luke's bar in an hour. I have a spare key."

"Sounds like a plan." I hung up, lowering the phone to the table as I stood from the chair I had been in most of the night. I took a few steps across the floor before jumping lightly onto the bed next to Ketch. I rested my head against his chest and he ran his fingers through my hair. "I have a lead."

He nodded and yawned. "Alright. Is the kid coming?"

"If she wants to. I'm not going to stop her from leaning more."

"We go in, you stay quiet," I instructed Ally as I handed her a fake badge. We had parked across the street from the bar and now headed towards its doors. "You're there to watch. Understand?"

Ally nodded, shivering against the cool breeze that came in from the sea. I watched, smiling as Ketch took his jacket off and draped it over her shoulders. She gave him a small thank you before sliding her arms through the sleeves. It was big on her, her fingers barely poking past the end of the sleeves. I smiled more at the thoughts it brought up. The memories of her mother so many years ago, looking almost the same in one of Dean's jackets. I was glad she had come with us.

I let the smile fall from my face as we got closer to the building, opting for a more neutral face as I pushed through the doorway first. Seemed like Carter hadn't needed the key after all. There were a few stragglers from the night before still here, most of them older people who probably had nothing better to do with their lives. There was a quiet buzz from the TV that overlooked the bar, a local news station played on it. Luke was at the end of the bar, talking to someone I assumed was Carter. I walked up confidently, Ketch and Ally on my heels.

"Carter?" I asked.

He turned around on the barstool where he sat to look at me, a drink in his hand. He was shorter than I had imagined, maybe as tall as I was. But he was built like a man who sold drugs, wirey yet muscled enough to put up a fight if he needed to. He had long black hair that he'd put up in a ponytail, more to keep it out of his face than to disguise how unwashed it was. His face looked unshaven, the grey undertone to his skin making the scruff and purple rings around his eyes darker. Those eyes were dark brown and they studied me as I studied him, careful and quizzical. There was a piercing in his left eyebrow and a simple gold ring, and his battered clothing did little to hide the tattoos that ran along the right side of his body, almost giving him an unbalanced look. He looked hungover, or maybe he was nursing a crashing high.

"What's with the muscle?" He sounded tired as well.

"He's just here to make sure nothing happens to me." I smiled softly, reassuringly. "Don't mind him too much. Morning Luke."

The other man nodded but didn't answer. He looked different in the morning light streaming through the windows. He was taller than Carter, but not by much, and his white skin looked like he didn't see much of the sun outside of those windows. He had thick, dark blonde hair that was cut very short to his skin. But the nicely manicured mustache above his lip almost seemed two shades redder than his hair. Though its red did match well with the green of his tired hazel eyes. He still seemed to be dressed in the same old white shirt and jeans he had been wearing eight hours before. I found myself wondering if he ever really went home. 

"Here." Carter huffed, holding out his hand in my direction. There was a small bag of several pills in his palm. A wadded-up piece of paper next to them, pen marks darkening some of the edges. "Meet my guy there, pay him for the drugs. You better not skip out, because then he'll take it out on me. And if he does that, then I won't be happy, so you won't be happy. So don't make this a mess."

"Deal," I smirked. "How much do I owe anyway?"

"$125."

"For five pills?" I couldn't hide the disbelief from my voice.

"You expecting a discount? Not like you can get this shit over the counter, princess." Carter sipped his drink.

"Ya, ya," I mumbled. "Thanks."

I shoved the bag into my pocket, turning to leave, but the news broadcast pulled my attention back to the TV screen. It was a live feed from the beach. I stepped closer to the bar again so I could hear what was being said. They were showing a row of dead bodies. Mostly teenagers or young adults.

"Seems like there was a beach party going on here last night." The anchor said over the crashing waves. "And as you can see, there are at least fifteen dead. And police are continuing to pull more out of the water as the tide continues to recede." She paused to pull the hair out of her face. "It's very possible that these are connected to the other bodies that have been washing up with this new party drug in their systems."

"You see, missy?" Carter said. "I wouldn't touch that shit. You're getting yourself into some hardcore shit."

"Do you think one of them is…" Ally said, her voice small as she grabbed for my arm. 

"No. She's smarter than that." I said in a low voice, only meant for her as I turned to her. "She wouldn't let herself get that far."

"Are you sure?" She ran her free hand through her hair. "Can…can we go check?"

"You want to go look for your…" I didn't finish the thought. Of course, she did. Any sane kid who was worried about their parent would want to go check a line of bodies for them. I couldn't blame her for wanting to make sure we could still find her alive. "Of course. Let's go."

Ally nodded, pulling her hand back and knitting her fingers through her long blonde hair. I pulled her to me gently as we walked out of the bar. I was sure we'd find Elly perfectly ok. Or at least…not dead.

It didn't take us long to walk our way down to the beach. The wind had begun to pick up a little as we went, and a light shower had started to fall from the grey clouds. I looked back at Ketch as we kept going, Ally still tucked under my arm. I knew he didn't have to be here, he could've just gone back to our room. But yet he stayed, seeming unbothered by the cold drizzle even though Ally still wore his jacket. Maybe he was just used to this kind of weather, even if he had been stateside for almost eight years now.

We finally reached the beach and started onto the sand, it felt soft and yielding even through my boots. Ally stopped suddenly as we grew nearer to the medical crews and police tape. I could even make out a news crew still standing close to the scene, the row of bodies growing behind them. 

"You ok?" I asked her softly.

"What if she's there?" She all but whispered.

"Then she'll get a hunter's burial. She's more than deserved it." I said, taking her hand gently.

"What's that?" Her blue eyes were dull, fear thick behind them.

"The highest honor we can give anyone." I smiled, even as she stared straight ahead, looking past everything that was there. "It means she was a hero and the bravest woman I've ever known."

Ally took a deep breath and began to move forward again, quicker this time as she pushed from my grasp. I watched her for a few moments as I followed behind. She was stopped at the police tape, but with a show of my badge and a short explanation, was allowed into the area. I stood back, waiting for her to be done. Ketch caught up in the meantime, coming to stop beside me.

"You think she'll be ok?" I asked softly.

"You said this was something she had to learn." He said with a sigh as he draped an arm around my waist.

"I know." I took a deep breath. "But that was about hunting. Losing your mother is…something different entirely."

"It's still something that most have to live through." He shrugged.

I almost found myself asking if he had experienced that but stopped short when I remembered how the British Men of Letters had treated their members. It was cruel. They took promising children away from their families and friends and turned them into mindless killers. They made them kill one another to prove they deserved to stay and learn more. Most of the time it seemed ot turn them into their own kind of monster. And if you didn't fall that way, they turned you into an analytics expert and kept you in a room filled with monitors, like Mich. The thought of that man, no bigger than I had been and far too friendly to work for a cooperation like that, made me think if Ketch ever felt guilty about what had happened between them. About what he had done to Mich. It was hard enough to forget shooting your friend on accident, I couldn't imagine how hard it would be to forget shooting them in the head on purpose.

"If Elly is there… what do you want to do with the kid?" I muttered, watching as she walked from one black body bag to another. "I don't think Lucifer will come back."

"We could take her in," Ketch suggested.

I looked at him as if he had suggested we abandon all hope and go live out our lives as turtle farmers. What kind of response was that? I was a demon. That was the only reason I needed to push that idea away. Since when had taking care of a kid ever sounded like a good idea to him?

"That was a good joke," I said, laughing a little. "I didn't know you knew that kind of humor."

"I wasn't joking." He said as he leaned down, gently placing a kiss on my head. "But if you think you can't handle it, I'm sure one of your brothers can take her."

"I…" I blinked. The sudden thoughts and feelings about a family, especially a family with him, sent my mind whirling. "I think Sam would do the best. Dean already has his hands full with Jack. And I'm sure he wouldn't want to take care of another Nephilim so soon, especially since Cas can be his own handful."

"You really wouldn't take in your best friend's daughter?" Ketch asked, the curiosity thick in his voice. Almost like he wanted to disapprove. 

"I'm a demon, Arthur," I said. "I wouldn't be 'mom of the year' and she needs someone…better. She needs a good place to grow up. Better than what I can give her."

"We can discuss it more later." He poked me in the ribs. "She's coming back."

I looked back to the line of bodies and Ally was indeed returning to us. Though now she seemed to have a smile on her face and more of a skip to her step.

"She wasn't one of the bodies?" I asked, hopeful.

"Not at all." Ally sighed, relieved.

"Well, that's good. Now we can start looking for her alive." I gave the young girl a small smile. "And we have a drug dealer to meet."