Dani was going mad. Every day her hope of figuring out her lineage seemed to stretch thinner. She was done waiting around for the demon to decide it was time to reveal itself. She was done trying not to see black eyes whenever she looked in the mirror and trying to calm down after she had a nightmare.
Sam could see it; she was spiraling. Ever since she was hexed, Dani had been even more distant. Sam longed to reach out to her, feel her, make her forget all of her problems. But it would do no good; he and Dean both knew that the only way to get her back normal was to get her closure.
The three of them were sitting around a table in the library, trying to research demon children and lore, when Dean slammed his book shut. Sam and Dani looked up at him.
"I've been thinking," he began. "One of the demons we... interrogated said we'd have to go higher up the food chain to find out what demon started the bloodline, right?" They nodded.
"And all the other demon's we've found weren't exactly of a higher status," Dani said flatly.
"Well, we haven't tried one option." He looked to Sam knowingly, whose eyes lit up in understanding before his face fell with doubt.
"Dean, no." He held out a hand as if to stop his brother from speaking.
"Crowley," Dean told Dani. Her stomach dropped at the name, but her eyebrows lifted.
"I..." The brothers looked to her for an answer. "I guess you're right."
Dean smirked at his brother triumphantly, who was reluctant but stayed quiet. "We'll contact him, you can stay out of it. To stay safe."
Dani did not respond. The Winchesters looked to one another uneasily, the silence uncharacteristic.
"Let's get to it," Dean said, standing.
Sam took one last look at the girl sitting next to him, staring at the book in front of her but clearly not reading it. With a sigh, he got up and followed his brother.
Dani looked around when she was sure she was alone, feeling as if all the books in the room were trying to talk to her but were not giving her the answers she needed. The now-empty seat at her side felt cold, so she got up and went to make some tea. Joseph's pale face was plastered on her eyelids, the sound of the boiling water taking her back to sharing tea in a motel with him and David. She sighed, rubbing her eyes as if she could get the image out of her mind.
******
Sam finished reciting the incantation, he and Dean holding their breath as they waited for Crowley to appear in the devil's trap. After a second, he looked to his brother anxiously.
"Hello boys." They heard the voice before they saw him. Crowley stood with his hands in his pockets, looking around with a bored expression. "What a surprise."
Sam clenched his fists at his sides, his jaw set.
"Heard you and your demon-girl have been going around killing my demons." Crowley shook his finger at them. "That was a naughty thing to do."
"We want to know what demon started Dani's bloodline," Dean demanded.
Crowley sucked his teeth. "Yeah, no."
Sam toed the edge of the devil's trap. "Tell us or I'll gut you."
He barely blinked. "That time of the month, Samantha?" Sam clenched his jaw. Crowley paced the small area. "And what if I didn't know?"
"Bullshit," Sam spat.
The demon smirked. "I will tell you who ordered the move to be made." His eyes flashed. "Lucifer."
"Why?" Sam growled.
"He wanted to create a new breed of demon, but he was in the cage and couldn't produce any offspring." Crowley picked at his nails. "And I was never the biggest fan, as you know, so I wasn't a part of the plan."
Dean groaned internally. "And how does that help us?"
"It doesn't." He chuckled. "And that's not my problem. As long as Jordan keeps away from me, she will never find out who her long-lost great-great-great grandparent is."
******
Castiel stood at the edge of the sandbox with the guardian angel by his side. He had been called via "angel radio" to meet there. He never truly understood why the angels chose a playground, of all places, for one of their gateways.
The sand kicked up in a whirlwind of light. The dust settled to reveal Hannah, squinting in a half-smile at him.
"Hello, Castiel."
He nodded. "Hannah. What is this about?"
She stepped down from the sandbox and nodded at the guardian, who made himself scarce. "Jordan Connaly," she replied.
Castiel tried not to look surprised; he had figured that the angels would inquire about her eventually, he just hoped it would be later rather than sooner.
"She is becoming a hazard," Hannah elaborated.
Castiel blinked. "How?"
"We know that she has begun to tap into her demon powers. It sent out a shock wave throughout Heaven."
"But she's been blessed, she isn't a danger--"
"That was before," Hannah said harshly. Castiel's brows furrowed and she sighed. "We need to eliminate the problem before--"
"No," he insisted. "She is not like her family, she is not dangerous."
"We cannot be sure of that." Her eyes became soft and she placed a hand on Castiel's arm. He looked down at it and back to her, anger darkening his blue eyes. "If she does not come to us, or you do not deliver her, Heaven will come for her."
He shook his head. "Surely something else can be done." Hannah did not respond. "Sam and Dean won't let you."
She closed her eyes, exasperated. "We can handle the Winchesters--"
"I won't let you."
Hannah stared at him, shock and disappointment mixed in her expression. Castiel was surprised, as well, he had not realized just how much he cared for Dani. But he watched her as she sacrificed herself for Sam and as she fought alongside Dean. He knew that, if they were there, Sam and Dean would insist that she was family.
Searching for more information, he asked, "What would you do with her? Kill her?"
Hannah did not speak, but her eyes held the answer. Castiel shook his head, finally pulling out of her grasp. Hurt flashed across her face, but it became stoic again in a second. With a final lethal look, he turned away.
******
Castiel barged into the bunker, interrupting Sam and Dean's recounting of their conversation with Crowley to Dani. They started at the bang of the door swinging open and the stomping of his feet on the metal steps.
"Dani?" the angel called.
"We're in here," she answered, sharing a confused glance with Dean, who sat across from her. She could feel Sam come a little closer to her and sit a little taller, at which she sighed.
"Cas, what's going on?" Dean asked when he saw his worried expression.
"The angels," he explained breathlessly. "They're coming for Dani."
Dani felt a mixture of fear and annoyance-- another problem for her to worry about.
"Why?" Sam asked.
"They think you're dangerous," Cas said, speaking directly to her. "They're going to kill you."
"We aren't gonna let that happen," Dean said, his voice hard.
Sam asked Cas another question, but Dani did not pay attention. She had to agree with the angels, she was a monster in her book. But, she thought as she looked at the Winchesters and the angel, she did not want to lose them again.
"Why are they so afraid of me?" she asked, cutting off the men's conversation. "Or, the demon side of me?"
"They think that, because you've... tapped into your demon abilities, the blessing no longer has an affect on you," Castiel explained, choosing his words very carefully.
She shook her head. "But I thought the whole point of the angel's blessing was to make sure I didn't go mad, not to stifle the demon blood." The words came out of her mouth before she even realized what they meant. The whole room stood still as they sunk in-- Dani understood herself more than the angels did, and that included her blood and their blessing.
"She has a point," Sam murmured. She turned to meet his eyes, which were distant but bright.
"Anyways, what can she do that's so dangerous?" Dean added. "It's not like she has super-powers. She's just a damn good hunter."
Dani nodded and looked back to Cas for an answer, who merely shrugged.
"No one in your family displayed signs of having powers, but you might be an exception." Cas folded his arms and examined the books splayed across the table. "And these are different circumstances..."
Deciding she had enough, Dani stood. The brothers stared up at her, confused. "Well, I'm not going to just sit here and wait to be killed," she announced.
The trio watched her saunter away, speechless. They looked at each other as if to see what they were going to do. As if they had come to a silent agreement, Cas and Dean looked to Sam. Sam blinked under their expectant gazes. Clenching his jaw, he stood and followed Dani.
Her door was slightly ajar but he still knocked before entering. She sat on her bed, unloading and reloading a gun. Sam felt his heart stutter at how incredible she looked, somehow so serene while also so strong. She had been gaining weight back for quite some time now, and her hands no longer shook. While her nails were bitten down and her eyes surrounded by shadows, Sam still was starstruck when he looked at her.
"Dani," he began, slowly approaching her bed, "maybe we should think of some plan first."
"Well, yea, of course," she replied, not looking up at him. "But I can't sit still while the angels could show up any moment. And any plan is going to need weapons." She indicated the gun.
Sam swallowed and nodded. "Right, but--"
"And I can't think of anything better to do than just fighting," she continued, cutting him off.
He sighed. "Maybe we should just," he sat next to her, "slow down."
Dani froze mid-motion, looking at him out the corner of her eye. He gently plucked the gun from her hands and placed it on the bed, replacing it's place in her grasp with his hands. She looked down at them intertwined.
"I understand if you're scared," Sam said softly. "Hell, I'd be, too. But you don't have to be. We'll protect you."
"Sam," she stopped him. "You don't need to protect me. And, yes, I'm scared. But..." Dani thought for a moment. "I'm not, at the same time. If anything, I'm more afraid for you than I am for myself."
Sam opened his mouth to say something, but she stopped him with a squeeze of his hand. "Ever since you've met me I've done nothing but put you in danger." She shook her head, blinking hard against the pressure in her eyes. Sam's throat bobbed. "I-I nearly got you killed."
"Dani, no--" Sam interjected, shaking his head quickly.
"But you've stayed with me, through everything." She finally met his eyes, and his heart exploded. They were shiny with tears but still held such determination. Somewhere inside of him, Sam felt a weight lift off his chest. "And I won't let that be for nothing. The angels can come, but there's no way they're going to hurt any of us without a fight."
Sam smiled, a small, sincere movement. Dani smiled as well, something genuine and hopeful.
"I love you," Sam breathed.
******
There it is, the big L word.
Whoa, Sammi's updating AGAIN? Crazy.
I was rewatching spn season 9 and realized just how much I loved Hannah lol.
Thanks for reading! I don't have much else to say. Vote and such.
- Sammi Winchester