How to Save a Soul - ABANDONED

"He prefers to be called Mike." Castiel spoke firmly to Dean, soon watching the fellow angel heal Kerica to help her be rid of the migraines.

Sam looked up at Mike with his eyes narrowed, blinking a few times in disbelief. "A guardian angel?" He blurted out, believing that most or all angels (except for Cas) were dicks. Plus, being named after the one angel that he dragged to Hell made him uneasy. But hearing the sweet tone in Mike's voice as he healed Kerica made his suspicious gaze disappear.

Amalia watched with a tender smile, then turned to the brunette with a confused look on her face. She was about to ask what she meant, before Dean beat her to it.

"I have very lucid, vivid dreams," Kerica told them first, "Sometimes they're long dreams like movies. Sometimes I can control them, turn them around, even restart them from a place in the past and try again. A...couple times I've even...dreamed of the future, I guess. At the time of those types of dreams I think they're just any other, but then it happens and I get a sense of deja vu. It's saved my life here and there."

She looked up at Mike, "What do you mean I called you?" she frowned, "I don't remember anything like that."

"You never prayed to him? That's what usually gets them to come running," Dean folded his arms and watched her shake her head.

Sam furrowed his brow at Kerica's words, turning to her with confusion. "Actually, you did... I'm not surprised you don't remember though; you were drunk. You showed me that angel key chain, and whispered the prayer." He pointed out. "You also mentioned that your mother sold her soul. Do you happen to know why?"

"My keychain....oh, right, I remember now, but vaguely. I must've been close to passing out, then," Kerica avoided the subject for a moment. She observed Mike, how his short golden brown-blond hair shimmered in the lighting, that cute cow-lick in the front giving him character. His eyes were almost the same as hers, too, that gunmetal green. "I can't believe I have a guardian angel. How did you find me?"

"I sensed you, and knew where you last were before I Fell from Heaven along with so many others," Mike explained, "I followed your trail from there, Castiel here acompanying me to see the Winchesters again," he smiled, and then nodded to her, "You should tell them."

Kerica looked at Sam and sighed, "Both Yami and Nerieta sold their souls, actually, to become stronger, faster, and live longer as well as stay younger longer. Basically to become a cross between a demon and a human. Not much will kill them, but I'm not sure what would. I was kind of going to go down the list, probably shoot Nerieta with silver bullets, chop off her head like vampires...salt and burn her...whatever," she shrugged, "Yami sold herself with me...agreeing to give me up to some demon. I guess whatever plans that demon had didn't fall through because nothing happened to me besides them."

"That's because of me," Mike put his hand on his chest, "I've protected her to the best of my ability. Was going damn good until the Fall, too. Nowher powers are surfacing and I don't know what they're going to be."

"Wait, powers?" Dean sat forward, "Sam this is sounding a lot like your problem back in the day. The yellow-eyed fucker, Azazel. I knew all this seemed familiar."

Sam grew wide eyed at Kerica's words, letting it all sink in. Now that he knew the entirety of the story, he felt his blood boil with anger towards Yami and Nerieta. It baffled him that they could do such a thing, and it crushed his very soul that Kerica had powers just like he did. He never wanted this for her, and it broke his heart.

Amalia looked from Sam to Dean, utterly confused. "What are you guys talking about? Who's Azazel?" She asked, making the younger Winchester glance at her with sad eyes. Dean never told her...? Then again, it didn't surprise him in the slightest that Dean didn't give her any details of their past. He wasn't exactly the sharing type.

"Azazel is the demon that killed both our mom and dad." He said, causing the redhead's eyes to widen in realization. She remembered Dean telling him that they lost their father to a demon, but... She never realized that their mother was killed by the same one.

"But what doesn't make sense to me is that the people that Azazel fed his blood to, myself included, were taken to this abandoned town. We were forced to kill each other. Why is it that you weren't there?" Sam asked, turning to Kerica.

"That is because we protected her. She is needed for something much bigger than any of us." Castiel interjected.

"Oh, that's fucking fantastic," Kerica threw her hands up and they splashed back down into the water. She sunk down so only her head was above the water, "Let me guess, you're not even going to tell me why or what for."

"No," Mike said with an understanding frown, "Since your powers are surfacing, you need to train them, get used to them. You're going to be hunted - by others besides Nerieta. Demons and even Angels alike. Before everything that has been going on, perhaps they would protect you, but without our wings we can't go back to Heaven. You're the key to get us back."

"Wait a minute, you're sounding like you knew the whole Metatron bullshit was going to happen," Dean snapped.

Mike shook his head, "We didn't. All we knew when she was born that she would be special to Heaven. Her bloodline has the same strength as your father, John, did and that you two do for housing Angels. Her blood was tainted by Azazel, yes, but she can be cleansed. A lot of her powers aren't brought on by the blood, like Sam's visions in the past. It's prophetic."

"She's a /prophet/? A couple years ago, though, one angel...what was his name...you smoked him, Cas, under Naomi's influence...Samandiriel! He was captured and it was said the next generation wasn't born yet," Dean narrowed his eyes at Mike, "She was not one of the names that was given to Crowley."

"What part don't you get that she was /protected/?" Mike snapped back, "She was taken off any list, basically erased from existence besides just a normal human and then marked at tainted when she was six-months old," he huffed and stood up, starting to pace, "Megatron turned off the "switch" for the prophet line after he had Gadreel kill Kevin Tran, but if I or Castiel could get into Heaven to turn it back on to restart it...everything could be fixed. If we cleansed Kerica now, then her powers would consume her as they activated all at once. This way, they'd come to her quickly, yes, but not as startling. She'll have more time to adjust."

Dean frowned, "Kevin Tran did lock himself away to decipher the demon tablet a few years ago, yeah, and Chuck cranked out those books like nothing to it."

Kerica paused and while here cheeks were red from the jacuzzi, they flushed darker, "Are you...by any chance referring to...the Supernatural Chronicles?"

Dean stopped. They all did and looked at her. Dean then sighed and rolled his neck back, "Nah...you didn't..."

"I did and I have all of them," Kerica sank just a little deeper, plugging her nose to keep water out.

"You think they're hot, don't you?" Dean rubbed his face when she nodded.

Amalia's wide eyes darted from Dean, to Mike, then to Kerica in complete and utter confusion. She absolutely had /no/ what they were talking about. She pinched the bridge of her nose lightly, her head starting to hurt while trying to process this new information. "I'm just going to sit here and pretend to know what's going on, even though I haven't the faintest idea." She groaned, causing Sam to smile nervously at the redhead.

"Sorry, Amalia... We'll explain later." He replied simply, then turned to his girlfriend as she mentioned the book series written about them. "Oh god..." He ran a hand through his hair, his face flushed bright pink with embarrassment.

"Wait, whoa, back up." Amalia spoke up, looking up at Kerica. "There's a book series written about them?" She asked, earning a nod from the brunette. Her eyes widened, then a devilish grin formed against her lips. "I might take a look." She said, just to see how Dean would react.

"Wait a minute..." Sam managed to let out, turning to Kerica again. "So... You /knew/ about Azazel? From the books?"

Kerica sat up straight again and she furrowed her brows before going, "Oooh...yeah, I did...because the books went all the way to when Dean died the first time and went to Hell," she tapped her chin, "I haven't read the books since they were released like...what, seven-eight years ago? I only have my favorites. When I said I have all of them I meant it, but not /with me/. They're all in my room back at my dad's place in California. Since we're heading that direction we could probably stop by, Lia, and I can grab them. How fast can you read?"

Mike watched Castiel, "That's right, they /are/ headed that way. We need to tell them about that town."

"What town?" Dean furrowed his brows.

Castiel sighed, "Laramie, Wyoming. Do you remember the Dragons that stole virgins to bring Eve back from Purgatory? They're not back, but a demon has taken their place. There is a reason virgin blood is used for many rituals. It can empower demons. However, like a vampire needs to feed regularly, a demon who has fed on virgin blood won't stay powerful for very long. It can be addicting like some drugs to humans as well, which is why a lot of demons don't do it."

Amalia's face lit up at Kerica's words, smiling softly before answering her question. "I'm honestly a very fast reader, but I can take my time with these books."

Sam groaned softly and ran a hand over his face, before turning to Castiel as the angel began to explain the situation. The younger Winchester grew wide eyed at the mention of a demon kidnapping virgins, turning to his brother with a look of determination.

"I guess our vacation got cut short," Dean sighed and stood up, holding his hand out to Amalia, "Let's head up to our rooms."

Kerica leaned on Sam a moment before she stood up. She didn't like the 'virgin' part of all this but kept her mouth shut. She looked at Mike and held her hand out to him, "It was nice meeting you, Mike."

"Not a problem, sweetheart," Mike grinned brightly and he hugged her, ignoring her hand and not caring she was wet. He pulled away after a moment and bounced back over to Castiel.

"Do...I have a gay angel for a guardian?" Kerica blurted.

Mike blushed a bit, "I suppose so."

"Oh my god. That is /fantastic/!" She giggled and grinned, "That's actually something really cool out of this whole deal."

"Thanks?" Mike laughed and he waved, "We'll see you guys from time to time. Take care. Just use that prayer to call me if you need me and I'll be there as fast as I can."

~*~

Kerica closed the door to hers and Amalia's room and while the redhead went to her bag to get out an outfit so they could get on the road, she took off her swimsuit and started to dry off since her hair was much longer, "/Virgins/? Um...Amalia...I don't know about you, but...I am one. I'm pretty sure demons can tell if you've been marked by a man or not. They're senses are much stronger than ours."

Amalia looked uneasy at the mention of the demon going after virgins, biting her lip as she paced back and forth before she changed out of her bikini and began to dry herself off, turning to her friend with a frown. "Actually... I /am/ a virgin too..." She admitted, looking down with a bright red face. "I mean... I've, you know... masturbated before, but I obviously never had sex with a man." She explained, finishing drying herself off with her towel before she started getting dressed.

"So have I, I mean, what do you think my favorite books of the Supernatural Chronicles are?" she gave a cheesy smirk and pulled on a pair of pants once she drug her bag out, "Leremie is only four, maybe five hours away. I get we're supposed to be looking for a demon, but we don't have anything else to go on. Sam and Dean didn't really seem to think twice about what that Castiel dude said. You obviously don't know what's going on and I /could/ tell you since Sam told me but it'd be funnier watching you demand Dean spill the beans," she admitted with a snort and made a small 'aha' when she found her bra.

Her face turned into a darker shade of pink at her smirk, only for the redhead to shake her head while putting on her panties and jeans. Soon slipping on her bra and clipping it together from her back, Amalia brushed her hair before pulling her shirt over her head and let out a heavy breath. She stuck her tongue out at Kerica at her statement, smiling a little bit before grabbing her bag and draping it over her shoulder.

()

Laramie, Wyoming

Twelve hours later

"I'm not interested in hurting you guys, honest," the demon male named Bane smirked. It wasn't a wonder he was easily banking several virgin women in such a place with little effort. He was a pretty boy who would make any woman's panties wet with a single smoldering glance from his baby blue eyes and short, slightly messy blond hair. He looked like he belonged on the cover of a California surfer magazine.

Dean sneered, "Yeah, like I believe that. You got Crowley's most wanted Hunters on a silver platter and two women ready to be served up."

"If you don't want to hurt us then what /do/ you want?" Sam asked, trying to keep the situation calm, but what he /really/ wanted to do was tear away his bonds just like Dean did and rip the demon apart for how he even /looked/ at the Kerica.

Bane walked around the two chairs holding the girls, the brothers tied to poles instead since they were a bigger threat. He started tracing his hand across Kerica's jaw and snapped his hand away when she tried to bit him, "Oooh, fiesty. I bet you're a vision in bed." He enjoyed how Sam jerked and growled under his breath, Adam's Apple vibrating, "I just want a little virgin blood is all. It tastes so sweet, and I wonder, do you guys even know what virgin blood can do to a demon's powers? It makes you so much stronger, but it only lasts for just a little while. It makes me sad, but that just means I have to look for more. I can smell a virgin a mile away..." he sniffed Amalia's hair and groaned lewdly.

Whatever Bane used to tie him down, he knew Dean was one of the most powerful demons around, because he could barely move an inch. "Don't touch her!" he snapped. If he had to, he would flip shit and go all Knight of Hell on this perverted demon's ass, even if it meant Amalia finding out. After getting things to go all smooth, too!

"It'd be so much /fun/ to watch you two squirm and break you by having you watch me take your women right in front of you," Bane hummed with a wicked grin, gripping Amalia's chin tenderly, then more firmly when she tried to jerk away, "A redhead, but you're much more subdued then your friend..." he commented absently.

Kerica snorted, "You're outa luck with me, bucko." She tried to play it cool, like she was already taken, but his next move made her stomach flip.

"Aw, you try so hard," Bane cooed and shook his head, going back over to her and ran his hand through her hair, caressing her head, "Virgin of the body, but certainly not the mind."

Sam struggled against his binds as he glared daggers at the demon, his jaw clenched and fire in his eyes. How /dare/ he touch her! Did this bastard really think that he could get away with this? Once he was free, the younger Winchester would beat him to a bloody pulp, then stab him in the heart. But then, his anger faded into surprise as his eyes narrowed slightly as he heard that Kerica was a virgin. Wait... What? He did not expect this in the slightest.

Amalia was absolutely terrified, and the demon knew that. He was using it to his advantage, causing the redhead to turn her head away with shame. It was then that she saw him touch Kerica, and her blood began to boil. She had to be brave, she realized. "Don't you /dare/ lay a finger on her, you son of a bitch!" She hissed darkly.

"Oh, everybody's so protective of the little one, how cute," the blond demon looked too gleeful about the fact. "Too bad I prefer more /pure/ virgins like you," he wrapped his fingers around Amalia's hair and brought it to his nose to smell.

Kerica scoffed, "Oh, nice to know I'm not /virgin/ enough for you, bastard!" Time seemed to slow down just a bit as Kerica's hands snapped free from being bound behind her back and she whirled around, using the demon's surprise to bring her dagger down on him, stabbing him in the throat as he was bent down.

~*~

Three hours earlier

After driving five hours to get to Laramie, and then sleeping for four more, they were all up and about. They converged in local diner and Kerica crossed her arms, "So, we basically have nothing to go on besides this demon we're after is stealing virgins. The best I can think of is visit the victim's families and see who they all have in common before they disappeared."

After taking a sip of her chocolate shake, Amalia looked up at Kerica with a nod. "That sounds like a good start. I can help ask the families and friends to see if they know anything." She said, soon taking a bite of her egg and cheese sandwich. She was starting to feel a little uneasy about this case, in all honesty. Knowing that virgins were becoming targets made her incredibly worried, especially since she was one as well.

Sam noticed how her face suddenly grew pale and he tilted his head slightly with his eyebrows furrowed in concern. "You okay, Amalia? You look kind of pale." He said, causing her her to look up at him with a nervous smile.

"I'm fine... Just worried about this case." She answered, sipping her shake again. Well, she told half the truth.

Dean eyed her carefully, but he tried not to think about or make assumptions to why she'd be worried, "I think we'd get more done if we split up. Use the newspaper or internet to find out who the victims are and where they lived, each chose a house and go there."

Kerica didn't like the idea of being separated. That made them weaker and increased the chance of being caught. However, she nodded and took a bite of her hash-browns, "Alright. Sounds like a plan."

~*~

"Anybody unusual before she disappeared?" the woman that answered the door for Kerica frowned as she thought, "I can't think of anyone in particular, but Kristy's best friend Morgan might know more. I could give you her address," she offered.

"That'd be great, thank you," Kerica agreed and waited for her to leave and then come back with the information. She felt uneasy, like she was being watched, like back during the Goblin case. It disappeared after a while, though, and she narrowed her eyes at the surrounding streets. Had that been the demon and was he scoping out the competition? God, she just wanted to move on. If she was in her car then she would be fine.

~

"A blond guy? Looks like a surfer from California?" Dean arched a brow at the teenage group he was chatting to who were collected at one of the victim's houses. Apparently she had had an older sister which was the reason for the gathering, "Do you girls know the name of this guy? How long he's been here for?"

~

"You said his name was Bane?" Amalia asked, looking up at the younger woman who nodded in response.

"Yeah, that's right. Oh, my god, he was so hot! Pretty much every girl started to swoon over him." She answered, a sigh leaving her lips as a dreamy smile creased her lips. "Myself included."

The redhead quirked up an eyebrow but nodded as she stood on her feet, smiling at the girl. "That's all I needed. Thank you so much for your time." She said, shaking hands with her before walking out of the house with a hand running through her hair. She felt as if she was being watched, and it made her incredibly uncomfortable. The sooner she could get out of the streets, the better.

~

"He showed up about a month ago." One teenage boy spoke, causing Sam's eyebrows to raise slightly as he looked up from his notepad, "Took the town by storm, especially the girls. Wooing them left and right. He was definitely a playboy...but...I couldn't get my sister to leave him alone," his breath hitched a bit but he took a deep breath and let out out slowly to stay calm.

Sam's gaze narrowed in sympathy, his jaw clenching slightly before he spoke. "I'm so sorry..." He placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, who nodded with a barely noticeable hint of a smile. Once he pulled his hand away, he thanked the boy for his time and he walked off.

He looked around cautiously, feeling a pair of eyes staring him down but he didn't see anyone. With a sigh, he continued walking, reaching into his pocket to grab his phone in order to get a hold of Kerica. However, before he could speed dial her number, he felt a painful impact on his head, his whole world going black.

~

Kerica felt a pain in her head and she hissed, rubbing it and looked around, but there was nothing here. She had just finished talking to Morgan and was heading back to the car when she felt like she got slammed. What in the hell was that? Her heart suddenly jumped to her throat and her stomach flopped. Sam. Was Sam okay? She should check on on everybody. Getting to her car she whipped out her phone and dialed Sam's number. Chest pounding, she felt like her blood turned to ice when he didn't respond. Calling Amalia next she tried not to pant with panic, "Hey, Amalia! Meet me back at the diner. I think something's wrong. Sam's not answering. You should call Dean, I'm going to head there now."

Amalia was starting to panic as well once she received the call from Kerica, looking around frantically before taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly. "Right. I'll be there as fast as I can." She said, trying to keep calm before ending the call and speed dialing Dean's number as she moved swiftly forward. "Come on, come on! Pick up!" She muttered under her breath, then heard his voice and sighed in relief.

"Dean! Oh, thank god!" She said, looking around again before walking even faster. "I just got a call from Kerica. Sam's not picking up his phone, and I think she's in trouble."

"/What/?!" Dean hissed and then swore under his breath, "Okay. Did Kerica say anything about where to meet up? Back at the Diner?" at Amalia's confirmation, he took a breath, feeling his arm and the mark burn, "Okay. I'll be there soon, just hang in there and run if you have to. If Kerica's not there when you show up, go in-ah!" he gasped as he felt someone try to hit him in the head. Whipping around, his eyes turned black and the blond behind him smirked, doing the same thing and spinning his metal bat, "Why you little-" he put his phone back in his pocket and jumped for Bane.

The kid the demon was in was speedy, dodging his punches and Dean had to duck the bat quite a bit. Unfortunately the demon managed to get behind him and he successfully knocked him out. Knight of Hell or not, a metal bat hurt like a bitch...

~

Kerica looked around the outside of the diner, trying not to look too panicked. "I just knew splitting up was a bad idea..." she grumbled. Pacing outside, she fingered one of her knives. "Sam...Dean...Amalia, where are you?" she whispered.

About fifteen minutes later Kerica was at her wits end when she felt eyes on her. This whole ordeal going to all the houses and stuff must've taken at least an hour and a half...maybe two. "Show yourself," she demanded to the morning air. There wasn't a lot of people around, but were there even cameras to catch if anything happened? Pacing across the sidewalk, she would prefer to confront the dirtbag than be taken off guard.

Unfortunately, all she heard was the gravel crunch and then she was grabbed from behind. A rag was placed to her mouth and she knew it was chloroform. Holding her breath, she tried to step on his toes and elbow him in the stomach. When that didn't work, she used her knife to stab him and then tried to do dead weight. Any of this and had it been a human they would've dropped her, but the demon held on firmly. Fuck! She couldn't hold her breath much longer...

Even though she fought hard to get him to let go, she eventually had to give in and passed out from the drugs within a short moment of breathing them in...

~

"Dean...?" Amalia's voice was starting to tremble, hearing a shout on the other end of the call. Then she heard nothing but silence. "DEAN!!!" Her scream filled the air before she finally hung up and began to run as fast as she could to the diner. She hoped and prayed that Kerica was still there, and her heart pounded painfully with fear. Twenty minutes later, she arrived at the small diner with heavy pants leaving her lips. She looked around frantically for her friend, walking inside to see that no one was there. "Oh god, no..." She whimpered, then suddenly felt something cover her mouth.

She struggled to get free from the unfamiliar grip of a powerful stranger, eyes shut tight before she swayed from side to side. She clawed at his arms with her fingernails, hoping to make him let go and tried to stomp on his toes like Kerica had showed her, but the figure was too strong, and the smell of the drugs made her feel lightheaded. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head and her arms and legs went limp, as she lost consciousness in the end.

~*~

Present

While Kerica had Bane distracted, Dean's eyes turned black as he flexed his demon powers and broke his bonds. He dove for the demon blade that had been put on a nearby wooden table and he turned around to see Kerica had been knocked away, being knocked against another pole. They looked at each other and he was glad he had switched his eyes back to normal because that would be endless questions and he would've had a horrible enough time explaining it to Amalia.

Kerica dove for Sam to cut off his bonds and Dean was in front of Bane before he was able to run away, and he stabbed him in the stomach, grinning savagely at is wide eyes and how his demon soul flickered with the red and orange light. Killing...he needed to kill, and he ripped the knife out only to stab it back into him, then shoved him towards Sam, "I haven't hit him in a vital organ, but you might as well finish him off," he growled.

Amalia watched the scene with horrified eyes, struggling to get free from her binds. Luckily for Dean, she never noticed nor paid attention to the fact that his eyes had turned black. She felt Kerica cut her free before she stood on her feet, turning to Sam who glared darkly at the demon before him.

The younger Winchester took the knife out of his stomach, his lips twitching before it formed into a smirk. "This is for putting your filthy hands on her." He hissed lowly, soon stabbing the demon knife straight into his heart, twisting it ever so slowly just to see the horrified look on his face before the demon's life faded away, his body growing limp.

A heavy sigh left Amalia's lips before turned to Dean and rushed over to him, pulling him into an embrace with her arms wrapped around his neck and her face buried in his shoulder. Her entire body was shaking, and her eyes were shut tight. "Thank god...."