An Organized Mess

“She called me.” Cas stated.

“You didn’t think to question that. Cas you can’t just- We have no idea where she is right now, great that she’s safe with you, but you can’t just let her disappear on us like that.”

“She’s perfectly safe here with me in the Bunker, there’s no need to worry.”

“Cas- just don’t pull that shit again, alright? Jane doesn’t go anywhere unless we know and approve. She doesn’t know what she’s doing; you can’t just listen to her.”

“She said I could trust her, Dean. I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright, buddy. We’re on our way home now.”

Dean hung up, tossing his phone into a cup holder as he sped off towards the Bunker.

The boys made it home in record time.

They slammed their car doors in unison and stormed down the halls until they came to the war room. They burst through the doors to find Jane with her back turned to them, leaning over the table.

Dean opened his mouth, ready to scold Jane for the stunt she just pulled but she cut him off, spinning around to face the boys.

“Woman in white.” Jane said as she presented them with a book, opened to a page with a ghostly woman standing beside a tree.

“Excuse me?” Sam asked.

“A woman in white, that’s what’s causing all the disappearances.” Jane said proudly as she handed over the book, returning to the table which the boys now noticed was covered in different books and papers.

Dean took the book from Sam’s hands and read for himself. He didn’t even remember that women in white existed. They hadn’t faced one since- it was the very first case the brothers went on together, back when Sam went to college, back when his life was normal, back when-

Dean’s train of thought derailed when Jane spoke, “I’ve been doing a little research of my own-”

“A little?” Dean said with a chuckle that Sam didn’t appreciate.

“You’ve done a lot of research, behind our backs.” Sam added in his stern voice. The Winchesters agreed Jane would have no part in hunting, yet here Dean was, joking with Jane when he should be helping Sam discipline.

“Don’t scold me, I might have cracked this case for you.” Jane said to Sam, grabbing some of her materials off the table. “At the Whittaker’s house, I overheard a conversation those women were having in the kitchen. Howard Whittaker,” Jane said, taking out the little profile the boys made on him, “was cheating on his wife. A woman in white ‘targets those that are unfaithful to their wives as the women in white were rejected or deceived by men in their life’.” Jane finished, quoting the book in Dean’s hands from memory.

“That might just be a coincidence, besides, not all the men were cheating. One was single.” Dean said, joining Jane’s side as he looked over the work she’d done.

“Dean.” Sam scolded. “Shouldn’t we deal with the whole sneaking-out-and-disrupting-an-investigation-and-then-disappearing-thing and the getting-involved-with-the-paranormal-even-though-we-said-not-to-thing first?”

Dean looked at his brother them Jane. Jane looked at Dean with her pleading green eyes. She wasn’t doing this to be rebellious, she was doing this because she genuinely wanted to help and Dean could understand and respect that.

“She might have something here, Sam.” Dean defended.

Jane’s pleading eyes softened as her face beamed with the most grateful smile Dean had ever seen. He couldn’t help but copy it.

“I’m sure that I do. I thought about all the factors too. Women in white ‘will also prey upon those she influences and seduces into committing adultery’. And the single guy could have cheated in the past.” She explained. “Also, the last known location of three victims was this pub.” Jane said pointing to a map. “Coincidence? I think not.”

“We’ll go check it out.” Dean said, taking the map.

“Shouldn’t we talk about this more? I mean this is just a theory right now.” Sam interjected, taking the map away.

“Do you have anything better?” Jane asked.

They didn’t. Sam couldn’t deny it.

“I guess we’ll go check it out.” He said, feeling his anger subside when he saw the proud smile on Jane’s face. “You’re not coming with us, though.” He added.

“On one condition.” She wagered. “You let me help with research.”

“Jane-”

“I get you want to protect me, but there’s no harm in this. Besides, what else am I going to do in here? Maybe I’ll stop trying to leave if I’m not so bored out of my mind.” She said. “Also, not to mention that I’m pretty damn good at this.”

“Don’t get cocky.” Dean said. “But I think you make a good point.”

“Dean-” Sam let out a sigh “Can I talk to you alone for a second?” 

The brothers wandered over out of earshot of Jane. “It may sound harmless now, Dean, but we can’t keep giving in. First, we let her start researching, then she starts helping on investigations, then she’s begging to come hunting.”

“You’re overthinking again, Sammy.”

“I’m not. It might get to that point, Dean, and I don’t think you have the willpower to keep saying no to her.”

“Look, we took Jane with us to protect her. If we say no, she’s gonna keep trying to get the hell out of here to have something to do. This will tide her over for a while.”

“A while? And then when she gets bored again?”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”

“Dean-”

“Sammy look, just trust me right now, okay?” Dean said in a whisper before looking away. Sam knew something was going on but he stayed quiet. He knew Dean wasn’t ready to explain himself just yet, so Sam would just have to trust him.

“Alright, I do.” Sam said with a nod.

“Good.” Dean then whirled around, instantly putting on a bright face. “We’ve reached a verdict.” He announced.

“Don’t keep a girl in suspense.” Jane said, leaning against the table.

“Welcome to Team Free Will.”

Jane launched herself at the boys, throwing her arms around their necks as she pulled them in for a family hug. “Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!” She exclaimed. “I won’t let you down.” She promised, as she pulled away.  

“Alright, team. What’s the plan?” Dean asked as they all took a seat around the table.

“Next left.” Sam said.

The boys took off in the Impala in search of the pub where the latest victims were last seen. Jane promised to stay home this time, though that didn’t stop the boys from checking the backseat before they left.

They were driving down a long quiet road with sparse streetlights, the radio playing softly as the brothers drove, neither speaking unless it was about directions.

There was a weird energy in the car, it was uncomfortable. Dean shifted in his seat, turning up the raido a little louder to drown out the silence. Why wasn’t Sam talking to him? Was he mad about letting Jane help still? Dean told Sam to trust him, was that not enough?

“It’s coming up on your right,’ Sam said before tossing the directions Jane gave him to the side.

Dean pulled into the parking lot, finding a spot right up front. He threw the car in park before turning to his brother.

“Alright, what’s up with you?” He asked.

“Nothing, lets go.” Sam said, moving to get out of the car but Dean quickly pressed the button that locked all the doors. “Dean, c’mon just-” Sam said, fiddling with the door handle.

“Something’s going on.” Dean pressed.

“It’s nothing,” Sam said with a sigh.

“What, are you still mad about letting Jane help?”

“It’s not that.” Sam said. ‘I’ve just been thinking about the last time we had a woman in white case.”

“Yeah, it was our first hunt together.” Dean recalled.

“A lot changed that day. I gave up on college, I started hunting again, Jess-” Sam stopped for a moment. “I just don’t want that to happen to Jane.”

Now it was Dean’s turn to sigh. “It’s not going to.”

“How do you know? I mean she’s going to get wrapped up in this world and she’s gonna turn out just like us. Is that really what you want? I know you told me to just trust you and I’m trying to but I don’t think you’re really thinking about this.”

“You’re the one not thinking about this shit, Sam.” Dean growled, looking down at his hands. 

“No, I really think you believe this is all gonna be fine, you’re ignoring the danger this is gonna put her in, why? Because you want her to be happy? I know you love that kid, I do too, but we don’t always get what we want, she’ll get over it.”

“Damn it, Sam.” Dean said, slamming his fist into his door. The car was silent except for Dean’s deep breaths. “Don’t you get it?” He sounded broken.

“Dean-”

“We both know she’s not gonna make it very long.” He said. “I mean Lucifer and Michael are after her. Look how that turned out for us, you think Jane’s gonna be able to make it through all that?” Sam stayed quiet, unable to look at his brother. “I just- I don’t want whatever’s left of her life to be miserable. She doesn’t deserve that.”

“Alright, I get it.” Sam said.

They sat in silence for another minute.

Jane sat trying to understand a particular sentence when she heard a knock at her door. Quickly she shoved Sam’s notes and the book under her pillow, instead pulling out her phone as she called, “Come in!”

“Hey, kid.” Dean said as he opened the door, poking his head in and giving her a warm smile like he always did. Dean’s bright smile almost distracted her from what the boys were wearing. Sam stood beside his brother in the doorway, both dressed in suits, like on the day she met them.

“Can I help you?” Jane asked with a laugh as the boys just stood there.

“Dean and I are going to the uh-” Sam started but seemed to forget his excuse.

“Grocery shopping.” Dean finished quickly.  

“Going to the grocery shopping.” Jane repeated, but she made it sound like more of a question. Maybe if she questioned them, they’d hear how stupid they sounded.

“Uh yeah, we’re heading out in a little bit. Just wanted to let you know, we can have Cas come over if you don’t want to be all alone.”

Jane wanted to call them out on their obvious lie, but instead a plan hatched in her head.

“I’m fine all by myself.” She said. “You know me, I’m a real tough girl, I can make my own mac and cheese and everything. I’ll survive without Cas”

“Sounds like you’ve got it handled.” Dean joked. “Call any of us if you need anything, though.”

“I know. I’ll see you guys later.” Jane said, turning her attention back to her phone. The boys left her room without another word.

She listened to their footsteps, retreating down the hall. Jane waited until she heard them round the corner before she sprung out of her bed.

She grabbed a jacket and a blanket, threw on her shoes and took off down the hall. After days of wandering the Bunker, Jane was pretty familiar with the maze of hallways. She made it to the garage, tip toeing her way in, being sure to look out for the boys.  

She ran towards the Impala, trying the door handle of the back seat. She was surprised to find it unlocked, but very grateful that Dean forgot to lock it. She dove into the backseat and unfolded the blanket. She crouched into the foot space and laid the blanket over her whole body, trying to make it look as un-suspicious as she could.

She reached a hand out to close the door quietly. It was then that she head the garage door open again and two pairs of footsteps approach the car. Through a little hole in the blanket, Jane could see Sam walk to the passenger side and climb into the car. The brother’s doors shut in perfect synchronization.

“Yeah, next time let me lead.” Dean said.

“Sorry I don't have the natural talent to lie to people.”

“We literally do it everyday.”

Sam let out an exasperated sigh, “I know but it’s different with Jane, I feel worse about it.”

Dean paused for a moment, throwing the Impala into drive as the garage door opened. “I know, but we agreed, we shouldn’t get her involved in this stuff.”

Before Sam could say another word, Dean tapped the volume button and the radio roared to life. The three remained silent.

Jane’s legs were starting to cramp up from being so squished in the back seat. She was brave enough now to pull back the blanket a little bit to let herself breath. She was able to see just barely through the window now, watching as they passed the tops of buildings and telephone poles.

As she stared out the window, Jane noticed they passed a familiar patch of trees. She dared to move the blanket even more to get a better look. Just as she reached the window, she saw they passed the grocery store.

“You know you passed it, right?” She asked nonchalantly, watching as the grocery store went out of view.

Both brothers let out girlish shrieks as Dean swerved off the road momentarily.

“Jesus Christ, kid.” Dean yelled, gripping the steering wheel for dear life.

“What are you doing here?” Sam asked, whirling around as his heart beat started to return to normal.

“Well I assumed you weren’t going to the grocery store again this week, especially not dressed like that.” Jane said. “Oh plus that top notch delivery of your excuse, that pretty much sealed the deal.”

Sam rolled his eyes but couldn’t deny what Jane was saying. They did an awful job playing this off.

“So, where are we actually headed?” She asked, resting her arms on the front seat.

“You’re heading home. ” Dean said, scanning the road looking for somewhere to pull over and turn around.

“No fair. I was cramped back there for so long! I’ve earned this.”

“Jane, we can’t just-” Sam started.

“Please just let me come with you. What’s the harm? I need some fresh air and new scenery, or I’m gonna go crazy” Jane argued.

Sam turned to his brother for help, but of course, Dean offered none, instead pulling onto a side road.

“Please, I don’t want to go back to the Bunker, it’s so boring in there!” Jane pleaded as the Impala slowed down and pulled over to the side of the road. Dean threw the gear in park and looked back at Jane.

“You’re staying in the car.”

Before Jane could say anything, Dean left the car, Sam following close behind. She watched as the brothers walked up the stone walkway to a large blue house.

“Mrs. Whittaker, I’m officer Young, this is my partner, Officer Johnson.” Dean said, gesturing to Sam. “We’d like to ask you a few questions if that’s alright.” He said with a bright smile as he presented their badges.

A short blonde woman stood before the brothers, tears welling in her eyes. “Yes, of course.” She said, stepping aside.

The boys went to question the wife of the latest victim, Howard Whittaker to see if there was anything left to uncover still.

“Please, follow me.” Mrs. Whittaker said, leading the boys through her home to the living room. She sat on a white sofa, offering for the boys to sit opposite her. Sam took a seat, slouching slightly in his seat as so seem less intimidating as he spoke to the small, emotional woman. “You have a lovely home, Mrs. Whittaker.” Sam said sweetly.

“Please, call me Katie.” She said, twitching slightly when she heard Sam use her last name.

Dean mosied over to the couch, first stopping to look at a picture framed on a side table, it was off Katie and Howard and their son who looked to be around Jane’s age.

“Lovely family too,” Dean said, pointing to the picture as he put it back down. “How long ago did Howard go missing again?”

“Is it really necessary to do this all over again?” Katie asked. “I already talked to the police-”

“It is, Miss. I’m very sorry but we need to ask these questions for our own investigation.” Sam said softly. “Now, can you tell us when your husband went missing.”

“Three days ago, on Thursday.” She replied.

“Was your husband acting strange at all before he disappeared.”

“Not really.” Katie said, sounding a little unsure.

“What do you mean by not really?” Dean pressed.

“Well, it was nothing really, but he was angry on Wednesday because his business trip got cancelled. He went out that night, and just never came back.” She said, trying to contain a sob. “He called me, he said he was on his way home.” She recalled, her voice wavering. “He sounded like he’d been drinking, I was going to go pick him up but he said he had to go, that he’d see me soon.” She took a pause to control her shaky breaths. “I can’t help but think he must have gotten into a horrible accident.” Now the tears flowed freely.

Sam went to console the woman but a voice called, “Sorry, am I interrupting something?”

They all turned to a young girl standing in the foyer: Jane.

Both brothers’ eyes widened as they saw her, sharing a look as they tried to come up with a plan. How were they supposed to explain who Jane was?

Before they could even utter a word, Katie stood up, “Hi, sweetheart, can I help you?”

Dean noticed the way Jane’s eyes darted to the picture frame he had placed back down on the table. She quickly met Katie’s eyes and gave her a bright smile. “Hi, I’m Emma. I go to school with your son. We were supposed to work on an English project today.”

“Steven never said anything about an English project.”

“Of course, he’s probably been so distracted with everything going on. I can only imagine how hard all of this is for him.” Jane said.

“Right well, Steven should be on his way home soon. Why don’t you-” Katie was cut off by the chiming of her doorbell. “Won’t you excuse me for a second.” She said to the boys and Jane as she hustled to the door.

“Now that is a convincing lie.” Jane said.

“Kid, what are you doing in here?” Dean asked.

“If I won’t stay cooped up in the Bunker, what makes you think I’ll stay cooped up in a car?” Jane asked.

“Jane-” Sam started, ready to scold her, but they heard voices and footsteps coming closer to the living room. Katie returned with three other woman, all holding dishes of desserts or casseroles.

“Emma, sweetie, why don’t you follow these ladies into the kitchen, you can wait for Steven in there.”

“Sounds good.”

Jane followed the women with a sweet smile on her face, but she was hoping to listen in on the boy’s investigating to gather more clues for herself. She couldn’t be too upset though, she hatched the plan of pretending to be Steven’s friend when she saw the photograph so she was already getting much farther than she anticipated.

“Now, where were we, gentlemen?” Katie asked as she took her seat across from Sam and Dean again.

Jane sat at the kitchen table, fidgeting with her phone as she thought about how she was going to leave without raising any suspicion. The three other women in the kitchen were friends of Katie, coming to offer their condolences. Though they spoke in hushed tones, Jane was able to pick up on the fact there was definitely an alpha among this group of women, one who didn’t like Katie very much.

“It’s so tragic, Howard was so young.” One of the meeker women spoke.

“You’re saying that like he’s dead.” the alpha scoffed, taking a sip of her drink.

“What do you mean?” The third asked.

“I mean I don’t think he’s dead, what else could I mean?” The alpha snapped.

Jane was intrigued. What did this woman know about Howard that no one else did?

“Howard’s been having an affair for years now. I think he finally snapped and ran away with his little mistress.” She continued.

“Andrea.” One of the woman scolded. “Do you really think this is something we should be talking about in front of….?” The woman trailed off but Jane could tell without even looking that the woman was gesturing to her.

“Oh please, she’s too absorbed in her phone to even notice we’re in here.”

Jane quickly clicked on messages and started typing out gibberish furiously to make it seem like she was engrossed in a conversation with a friend.

“How can you be so sure Howard was-” The woman paused before whispering, “cheating on Katie?”

“I thought it was pretty obvious. Those business trips he’s always going on? Staying late at work? We work in the same office, I know when he’s not there even when he claims to be.”

A light went off in Jane’s brain. She went through her contacts list and found Castiel’s number. He gave her his phone number in case she ever needed him, but also explained she could reach him with a prayer as well.

She hit the call button, holding her phone to her ear as she stood from her chair. He answered immediately, responding with a quick, “Hello, is everything alright.”

“Yeah I’m fine. Steven wont be home for a while so he just told me to head home. Do you think you could pick me up?” She asked, continuing to play the part of Emma in case the women from the kitchen were listening in.

“Who is Steven? What’s going on? Are you alright, Jane?”

“No- Cas- just, come get me. Do your teleporting thing into the Impala and I’ll come meet you.” Jane said, careful to whisper into the phone.

“I’m not sure I-”

“Cas, just do it, trust me.” And with that she hung up, entering the living room again. “Sorry to interrupt again.” She chimed.

“Is something wrong sweetheart?” Katie asked.

“Everything’s fine, Stephen just texted me saying he wouldn’t be home for a while. He said I should just head home, so my friend Cassie is coming to pick me up.” Jane said. The look on the brother’s faces when she said Cassie almost made her laugh, they knew exactly what she was doing but couldn’t stop her.

“Oh, alright dear, it was nice to meet you.”

“You too.” She said with a sweet smile as her phone dinged. “Oh, looks like Cassie’s here!”

Jane skipped out the door, grinning as she slipped into the back seat of the Impala beside Castiel.

“Can I ask what’s going on.” He asked.

She stayed silent. The door slid open and Bella walked out, receiving the tray Shiro held out for her. She noted the way her breakfasts seemed to get more extravagant with each day, how less and less green goop was incorporated into her meal. Upon her plate now was toast and scrambled eggs, no trace of green goop at all.

Bella knew that with each passing day, with each breakfast, Shiro was trying to show he was sorry. She did appreciate it, he was obviously doing it on his own as Hunk was still very much asleep. What Bella didn’t appreciate is the fact that Shiro had to show his apology through kind gestures but not through words. All she wanted was for him to say, “I’m sorry for being a huge dick the other night at the diner with the Balmerans and treating you like less than human. It was incredibly stupid, I’m incredibly stupid”. Was that too much to ask for?

Until Shiro managed to verbalize his apology, Bella would continue to give him the cold shoulder.

They walked in silence until Shiro stopped at a room.

“Things got a little intense in here yesterday.” Shiro explained revealing what Bella assumed was their training room. It was a mess.

There were clothes and gear strewn everywhere as well as miscellaneous weapons lazily ‘put away’. If that wasn’t bad enough, the whole room smelt like teenage boys and sweat. Bella was sure it would take her the rest of her life to rid the room of that scent.

Shiro must have noticed the face Bella made. “Yeah, we were training almost all day, I felt bad making the guys clean up, they were so exhausted.”

“So you make me do it instead.” Bella grumbled to herself, placing her breakfast on the ground, annoyed she wouldn’t have time to eat it while it was hot. She brushed past Shiro as she turned her attention instead to the clothes on the floor. It aggravated her that at the end of the day, she was stuck doing chores for a man who thought so little of her.  

“Bella-” He started, but Shiro didn’t know what he could say. He knew why she was mad, hell he was just as mad at himself as Bella was. Shiro felt terrible for dismissing her like that, but in the moment he panicked, he had no idea how to talk about her situation to the Balmeran’s. He thought it would just be best for her to leave. He knew at that moment it was a mistake. The second he saw the hurt on Bella’s face that night, his heart sank. They were just starting to get along and now he forced them back to square one. God, he was such an idiot.

Bella heard a sigh leave Shiro’s lips followed by his retreating footsteps. Bella grumbled to herself, ranting about who Shiro thought he was as she collected the clothes.

Bella’s fingers were cramping because of how hard she was pressing down on the rag, scrubbing the floor until it shined.

The training room was nowhere near spotless, but Bella made significant progress. She was currently crawling across the floor on her hands and knees, scrubbing the spots on the floor that needed a little extra elbow grease. She’d already been over the entire floor with a mop but there were stubborn stains littered across the floor that she was determined to get rid of.

She dunked her rag into a bucket of soapy water just as the doors slid open behind her. Bella couldn’t stop her eyes from rolling. She threw the rag down and stood up to face who she assumed was Shiro. As she turned around, she instead came face to face with Keith.

“What are you doing in here?” He asked, his voice dripping with disgust.

“Cleaning up your mess.” Bella said, returning to scrubbing the floor.

Suddenly, Bella felt a hand clasp onto her upper arm, dragging her to her feet. “Well, I need the training room.” He said, practically dragging Bella to the door. She wriggled in his grasp but couldn’t free herself. Keith took her all the way to the door, letting it slide open before he shoved her into the hallway. The doors closed behind her as she steadied her footing.

Bella couldn’t believe the audacity of that boy. There was no way in hell she was going to let that slide. She whirled around, anger filling her entire body. Just as she was about to pound on the door, a small voice called out to her.

“Bella?”

Bella turned to see Pidge and Hunk, both with concerned faces as they noticed Bella’s ticked off expression.

“Are you alright?” Hunk asked, a bit hesitant.

Bella sighed. “I’m fine. It’s just Keith, he-.” She sighed again, feeling some of her anger alleviate. “It’s nothing.” She finished, having a much more pleasant tone, throwing in a soft smile too. “What are you guys up to?”

“Everybody’s planning on having dinner together tonight.” Pidge explained. “We never really eat as a family, we’re normally too busy but we thought we’d make the time for it tonight.”

“And of course, I’m cooking.” Hunk added.

“Sounds nice.” Bella said, her stomach grumbling as she thought about Hunk’s cooking, choosing to focus on that rather than the fact she’d be eating alone in her cell tonight.

“I could always use a co-chef.” Hunk offered. Bella remembered how much fun they had while cooking for the Balmerans. It was the best day she had in the castle so far.  

“Well my schedule just cleared up.” She said, giving a final glance to the training room doors. “I’d love to help.”

The three headed to the kitchen, Hunk baking away while Pidge and Bella sat and watched, offering emotional support rather than any actual help.

The girls talked, Hunk chiming in every once in a while, but he was much more focused on the meal he was preparing. Bella had gotten to know Lance and Hunk fairly quickly, and she knew Pidge was part of their trio, but Bella always felt a disconnect with Pidge. Thankfully, they got the chance to really talk with one another, bond a little bit. She learned a lot about Pidge, firstly that Bella really liked her. She was so intelligent for her age, hell for any age. Pidge was so passionate about technology and a total master of it. She was an interesting girl and Bella was nothing but impressed. She learned how Hunk, Pidge and Lance were friends back at the Garrison. That led to countless embarrassing stories about Lance that Bella was sure she’d use for blackmail one day.

“Lance was always getting us into trouble.” Hunk said through a laugh.

“It was the easiest way for him to get attention.” Pidge added, making them all laugh.

“Looks like nothing’s changed.” Bella commented.

Perfect timing. Lance walked into the kitchen to find his three friends laughing. He, of course, wanted to be a part of the joke.

“What’s so funny, guys?” He asked.

“Oh nothing.” Bella said, trying to contain her laughter, but the second she looked at Pidge and Hunk, she burst out laughing again.

“It’s about me isn’t it?” Lance asked after his friend’s giggles died down.

“Course not, buddy.” Hunk said, clapping Lance on the back.

Lance shrugged off Hunk’s hand and took a seat beside Bella. He was only a little bitter, Lance often was (but hated being) the butt of anyone’s joke. He liked to think of himself as the funny one, no one makes fun of the funny one, that’s the funny one’s job. He didn’t mind all that much though. if having Hunk and Pidge tell embarrassing stories about himself meant that he could hear Bella’s laugh, it was worth it. Lance was almost entranced in the way her head went back slightly as she let out a cackle, letting her beautiful eyes shut and her nose wrinkle in the cutest way.

Lance could feel himself really falling for Bella, he felt something for her from the moment he saw her. Though that’s normally how it went with any girl Lance came across, but with each passing day, each conversation, he felt more and more for Bella.  

“I can’t believe you did that.” Bella said to Lance through her giggles. Lance panicked for a second, he’d been so focused on staring at her that he had no idea what the group was talking about.

“That’s not even the worst of it, Bel” Hunk said.

“Enough guys, he’s embarrassed.” Bella said, holding in her giggles as she looked at Lance. It was then that Lance realized he had a very apparent blush on his cheeks, no doubt due to staring at Bella for so long.

“Need your girlfriend to stand up for you?” Pidge teased.

“I don’t need anybody to stand up for me. I’m the most macho man.” Lance said, jumping out of his chair to flex what little muscle he had, purposely trying to distract from the fact that Pidge called Bella his girlfriend.

“Of course you are.”

“No samples!” Hunk scolded, swatting away Bella’s hand as she tried to again steal something off his tray. Hunk and Lance were manning the stove and there was an unattended tray topped with something sweet. Bella thought she’d be able to snag one without Hunk noticing, but he apparently had the vision of a hawk when it came to food.

“C’mon.” Bella cried. “Nobody’s gonna miss just one.”

“I would.” He replied, turning back to the stove.

“So unfair, you guys are gonna get to eat all this food.” Bella complained. “I’ll be lucky if Shiro gives me leftovers.” She whispered this last part more to herself, but everyone heard.

“I think you’ll survive without one.” Lance said, leaning over the counter to where Bella sat. She glared at him but he took her hand resting on the countertop and flipped it over. He quickly placed the little sweet roll in her hand, closing her fingers over it.  He held a finger to his lips, telling Bella to stay quiet. She gave him a sweet smile.  

“Alright, that’s the last of ‘em.” Hunk called, pulling the final tray out of the oven. “Can you three start taking things out to the table?”

Bella stopped for a moment. Of course, she wanted to help Hunk, but she thought of what happened the last time she was in the dining room, what Shiro said to her.

“Are you alright, Bella?” Pidge called. She and Lance were almost half way out the door before they realized Bella didn’t grab anything yet.

“Uh, yeah, just start setting the table without me.” She said, knowing that only made her friends more suspicious.

“You guys go ahead.” She heard Lance whisper. Bella’s back was to them, but she heard Pidge and Hunk’s retreating footsteps as Lance came closer to her. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Bella said, turning to face the blue paladin. “Really, I am. It’s just what Shiro said the other night.”

“You know he didn’t mean it.”

“Didn’t he?” Bella cried. “Why else would he say it?”

“Since when do you care what Shiro has to say about you?”

“I don’t, I just- I thought we were finally making process, Lance, I thought I was starting to be more than just a prisoner to him, but he proved that isn’t the case.”

Lance could see Bella was getting worked up, her face was flushing and her eyes were starting to prick with tears that she tried to hide from him. He grabbed onto her shoulders, forcing her to face him, but she never met his eyes.

“You are so much more than just some prisoner, Bella.” He said. “You are so much more, you don’t even know.”

“Am I?” Bella said, chuckling a little.

“You really are.” He practically whispered, there was no need to be loud for the two were so close together now. They stayed silent for a moment, enjoying being so close to one another.  Lance was sure that if Bella just tilted her head a little higher he’d be able to reach her lips, the lips that finally turned from a frown to a smile.

“Get a room.’ Pidge called as she and Hunk returned, grabbing another tray each.

Moment ruined. Lance and Bella separated from each other. Bella gave him a grateful look before turning her attention to a tray.

The four ignored the moment as they all headed to the dining room.

The rest of team Voltron were already seated at the table, chatting to one another.

“Eat up guys.” Hunk said, placing down his tray before fixing himself a plate. Bella froze for only a moment before Lance gave her a reassuring look.

Pidge and Lance laid their trays down and took their seats. Bella stood awkwardly, trying to find a place to leave her tray before she could make a swift escape back to the kitchen.

Just her luck, the only open space on the table was right in between Shiro and Keith’s seats. Bella took a calming breath. Just push through, Bel she thought to herself.

“Excuse me.” She said, as she placed the tray down. Though Bella was sure to get out of there as soon as humanly possible, she managed to see the look of surprise on Shiro’s face. He opened his mouth to say something but Bella was already at the other side of the table before he could utter a syllable. “Is that everything?” She asked Hunk.

“Yeah, thanks for the help today.” He said.

“No problem.” She said, patting Hunk on the shoulder before turning to leave. She supposed she’d wait in the kitchen to see what leftovers Hunk would bring in, it was only fair after all the hard work she did talking to Pidge and him all day.

A chair pushed back from the table, scraping across the floor with a screech.

“Bella, wait.” Someone called. She turned.

It was Shiro.

He stood at the table, arm outstretched to Bella. All eyes were on him. It was then, Shiro realized how intense and embarrassing his outburst was.

“Take a seat.” He said in a calmer tone, fighting the urge to look away from her glare. Her expression turned from annoyance to suspicion, slightly better but not the look he was hoping for.

After Bella didn’t answer, Shiro walked to an empty chair, pulling it out so Bella could sit. He looked at her expectantly, but Bella still seemed hesitant. “I’m really sorry for what I said to you the other day.” He said. Bella was impressed, she was sure if Shiro was going to apologize, he’d do it quietly to her and only her, not in front of the rest of his team. She could see in his eyes how sorry he was, and he was making a sincere effort. “I hope you accept my apology and join us for dinner.”

“Don’t mind if I do.” She said, sitting as Shiro pushed in her chair for her.

“Where could you be, little flower?” Lotor asked aloud to himself, staring out a window into the vastness of the galaxy. He’d asked himself this question each and every day since his Bella managed to escape. No one had any information as to her whereabouts yet. It was infuriating.

The ship she stole was found but any trace of the girl was lost. How could she have just disappeared like that?  With each passing day, Lotor worried more and more that his Bella may be gone forever

The prince’s thoughts were interrupted when he heard a knock on the door.

“Come in.” He called, keeping his amber eyes fixated on the window as if he stared long enough, he'd be able to spot her.

“We’ve found her, sir, alive.”

Lotor stayed facing his window, letting the corners of his lips turn up in a smirk.

“And where might little Bella be?” His tone was nothing but malicious.

“We have reason to believe she’s been taken in by Voltron, sir.”

A deep chuckle rumbled through Lotor’s chest. He finally turned to the soldier, a wicked grin on his lips.

Dean was glad to find the two hanging out together. Cas was starting to stay at the Bunker more and more often, mostly to keep an eye on Jane when the boys had to leave. Dean hated keeping Jane locked away like some prisoner but he was pleased, a bit surprised, to find Cas made good company. He felt a little less guilty keeping her here now that he knew she wasn’t completely bored out of her mind.

“Hey guys!” Jane called, maintaining intense eye contact with the angel in an attempt to intimidate him, but she was starting to think Cas wasn’t capable of being anything but neutral.

“Hey, Jane.” Sam said as he shrugged off his coat. “How’s the game going?” He asked as Dean walked behind Cas, trying to communicate to Jane what cards Cas had in his hand.

“I’d say pretty good.” Jane replied as she laid down her cards, three aces and two queens. Cas showed his hand, all miscellaneous cards.  

“I don’t think I understand the rules of this game.” Cas admitted as Jane started to shuffle once more.

“Deal me in.” Dean said taking a seat at the head of the table.

“Don’t you think we have more important things to be doing?” Sam asked. They still had so much work left to do regarding the disappearances, they didn’t have time to waste playing poker.

“Right.” Dean muttered reluctantly, getting up out of his chair.

“Is something going on?” Jane asked hesitantly. She was always suspicious that the boys were talking about her situation. Every time they wanted to talk privately she was sure they were talking about her and what they could possibly do with her. Part of her felt she deserved to be part of the conversation, to hear everything upfront. The other part of her, however, thought she was better off not knowing.

Dean sensed Jane’s fear immediately. “Don’t worry, kid. We’re working on a case from a few towns over. We’re still trying to get to the bottom of everything.” He explained.

Sam glared at his brother. They decided that they would keep Jane away from anything and everything paranormal. Sam made Dean promise just days ago that they wouldn’t tell her anything about their cases and only involve her with the Michael/Lucifer situation if it was absolutely necessary for her safety. He thought it was best if Jane was distanced as far as possible from the world of supernatural creatures.

“Need any help?” She asked.

This was exactly why Sam didn’t want Jane to know anything about their cases, not even that one was going on. That girl was curious, which Sam admired. Jane was always trying to learn more and educate herself. But that can prove to be dangerous as her curiosity leads her to being involved in some seriously unsafe situations.

“I think we’ve got it covered.” Sam interjected before Dean could say anything stupid.

“C’mon, I have nothing better to do. Beating Cas gets boring after the thirty-somethingth time.” Jane joked. “Besides, if you’re stuck maybe you could use a fresh perspective.” She said, beginning to pack away that cards as she stood up.

“We appreciate it, Jane, but we’re all set.” Sam said, practically dragging Dean away.

Jane slumped back into her chair as she watched the brothers retreat.

Turning to Cas she said, “Wanna play go fish?”

Hours passed and so did card games. Cas was actually surprisingly good at go fish. After Jane explained the rules and that they would in fact not be going outside to fish, he caught on fast. He was even able to beat her a few times. War and Blackjack were different stories, however.  

Sam and Dean were still in the library, trying to find anything that would help them in their case. Even from this far away, Jane could make out little exasperated sighs and the slamming of books being closed and tossed around when deemed unuseful.  

After a particularly loud grumble, Jane saw the brothers emerge from the library.

The boys looked like they aged ten years in the few hours they’d been in there. Sam’s hair was a little messy, probably because he ran his fingers through it every time he got frustrated.

“Any progress?” Jane called. She didn’t mean anything by it, well maybe only as a little jab. She was certain that if they just let her help, they’d be able to get to the bottom of whatever this case was. Jane didn’t doubt that the Winchesters knew what they were doing, they were professionals after all, but she’s helped before and she could do it again.

Sam sent her an annoyed look but Jane chose to think that he was more annoyed with the case than her asking. He wiped away his crabby expression quickly, though, forcing a pleasant one instead as he explained, “We’re getting there”.

“Cas, we’re gonna head out for a little bit, check out the town’s library to get more info.” Dean called, throwing on his jacket.

“I could use some fresh air, I’ll come too.” Jane said, hopping out of her seat.

“No!” The Winchesters yelled in unison.

Realizing that was a little too aggressive, Dean tried to recover by saying, “I just mean uh- you don’t want to go to some boring old library, right?”

“That actually sounds like fun, I could borrow a good book.”

“We can check something out for you.” Sam said.

“Or I could just come with you. I don’t see what the big deal is.” Jane said.

She could understand that the boys wanted to keep her safe, she wasn’t arguing that. It’s just the way they tried to do it that bothered her. Keeping her locked away wasn’t going to do anything besides drive her mad. And it angered her even more because they were pretending that that's not exactly what they’re doing.

The boys couldn’t think of anything to say. Jane just rolled her eyes and let a defeated sigh out. There was no use in arguing.

“You know, never mind. I’ll find something to do here, I guess.”

“Don’t sound so sad, kid.” Dean said, reaching out an arm to pull Jane into a side hug, but she dodged him.

“See you when you get back.” She spoke, plopping down in a seat, her back to them. She was sure to make her tone even sadder than before.

Jane didn’t need to turn around to know the brothers’ faces were filled with guilt.

They both stared at her for a moment, again trying to think of something to say to ease the tension, but nothing came to mind.

Dean gave Cas a pat on the shoulder before heading out.

“You know, they do care about you.” Cas said as he heard the Impala retreating down the road. “They’re only trying to protect you.”

“If by protected you mean locked away like a princess in a tower,” Jane mumbled under her breath, but Cas heard her.

“They’re doing the best they can, you have to understand that.”

Jane knew Cas was right and just trying to help but she wasn’t ready to listen to it. She wanted to yell at Cas for trying to be the voice of reason, for being on their side. She almost did. But looking into his soft eyes, Jane couldn’t bring herself to yell. It wasn’t Cas she was mad at, hell it wasn’t even the Winchesters she was really mad at either. It was whoever got her into this mess in the first place.

“Can I just be left alone for a little while?”

Cas nodded. “If you need me, just call.”

And then he was gone.

Without wasting a single second, Jane was out of her seat and running into the library. She wasn’t about to sit around a mope while she waited for the Winchesters to come back. Maybe they could keep her from going outside, but they weren’t going to keep her from doing what she wanted inside the Bunker. Seems like a fair trade.

In the library, Jane could see a table covered in papers and books. Taking a closer look, she could see reports printed out, detailing missing persons cases as well as short biographies of the men who had gone missing.

Jane could assume that the men weren’t just missing, something much more sinister must have happened.

In skimming through the articles and biographies written about the men, the only similarities Jane could find were that they were all married and lived in the town. No wonder the boys were so stressed out, there was nothing.

Jane wasn’t going to give up, though. Maybe if she helped with this case and got to the bottom of things, the Winchesters would let her help out on more cases, let her go beyond the walls of the bunker. Okay, maybe that was pushing it, but at the very least they’d probably see her as less of a little girl and more of an asset to the team.

Thankfully, Sam left his laptop on and open, so Jane opened a tab and started searching. She thought to check for monsters that only target men, not anticipating how many man-hating monsters were out there. She found a pad of paper and a pencil and got to work, writing down each monster that fit the very broad criteria. She took to Wikipedia and countless conspiracy theory websites, but she couldn’t be sure if anything she was reading was too credible. Cross-referencing with some pretty legit looking mythology websites, Jane collected notes about each monster, trying to narrow down which could be taking these men. Her list alone almost took up two pages and her notes added at least another seven.

She could tell this was going to be a grueling process, but she remained determined.

Unfortunately, Jane was cut short when she heard a voice calling, “Cas? Jane?”

Sam and Dean were home.

Quickly, Jane exited every tab she’d opened on Sam’s laptop, frantically erasing the search history as to not leave a single trace of her sleuthing. She put papers back in the order she thought they were in earlier, not having time to second guess herself. Scrambling to gather her notes, Jane ran out of the library sure to grab a book from the shelf Sam dedicated to non-lore-related books.

Jane shoved her notes in between the pages of the book just in time to run into the boys.

Both brothers looked relieved to see Jane turn the corner, but it was soon replaced by agitation.

“We’ve been calling your name for like three minutes.” Sam started.

“When you weren’t answering and Cas wasn’t here,” Dean sighed. “We got worried, kid.” “Sorry,” Jane said, showing them the book she grabbed. “I was just in the library-”

Jane noticed the way Sam’s face contorted as she revealed where she was.

“Promise I didn’t mess with your stuff, I was only trying to find a book to read or something to do since I couldn’t come to the library with you guys.” She said, taking them on a full guilt trip as a way to distract Sam from his anger.

“Right,” Dean said after a moment. “Well, we uh- we better get back to work.”

The two retreated into the library where they would spend almost the rest of the night.

Jane spent the night going through the rest of her list.

It was only about two, plenty of time left to do whatever she wanted. She was almost done with her work, like she normally was. Cleaning wasn’t a very hard job. Most rooms in the castle were already spotless, so Bella found herself having extra time almost every day.

For now, though, she still had to sweep. She found the dustpan and hummed to herself as she dragged the mounds of dust around. Soon, her body started to sway along with the rhythm of her tune.

Bella wasn’t much of a dancer, at least not in a serious sense. She always dreamed of taking ballet classes when she was younger but never found the time or money. That never stopped her from dancing with her siblings or around her kitchen when she was bored, though.

As she continued to hum, she found her legs moving in the waltz pattern her father taught her years ago. Soon the broom joined her in the dance, becoming her partner as she swirled around the room, having no regard for the dust piles as she glided right through them.

Bella was so entranced in her dance that she failed to hear footsteps approaching the room.

Shiro stood in the doorway, watching the girl before him. Had this happened a week ago, he would have stormed into the room, thoroughly enjoying her embarrassment when she realized she was caught. He would have dragged her back to her cell and left her there. But this wasn’t a week ago. The dynamic slightly shifted between the two. Now Shiro stood with a slight smile on his face. There wasn’t a single thought of reprimanding Bella in his mind.

Remembering he was on a mission, though, Shiro did clear his throat. Bella was obviously startled, stumbling and almost tripping over the broom.

He watched with a faint smile gracing his lips as he watched her stand upright, trying to pretend nothing happened.

“It’s rude to sneak up on people.” She said, cheeks flushing.

“My apologies.” He said, with a hint of sarcasm. “If I may take you away from your dance partner, I need you in the kitchen.”

The furious blush never left Bella’s cheeks as she balanced her broom against the wall and followed silently behind Shiro, her head hung in shame.

“How good of a cook are you?” Shiro asked.

“Not much of a chef.” Bella muttered.

“Well let’s hope your a better cook than you are a dancer.” He said, making the blush on Bella’s face deepen. She was never going to live this down.

They came to the kitchen where Hunk was furiously mixing a concoction of interesting looking ingredients. There were pots and pans upon the stove, a few overflowing with substances Bella couldn’t identify. Quickly, Hunk dropped the mixing bowl and turned his attention to the stove, turning down the heat and stirring and trying to contain the madness.  

As Hunk ran back to his mixing bowl, Shiro called out to him. It was then that Hunk finally realized he had company.

“Hey Shiro. Hi Bella. Little busy right now.” He said through gritted teeth as he stretched to reach for a spatula.

“That’s why we’re here.” Shiro said, giving Bella a slight shove forward. “Bella, here, would be more than happy to assist you.”

She glared at the black paladin before turning to Hunk with a bright smile, granted, that was slightly forced. It’s not that Bella didn’t want to help Hunk, it’s that she wasn’t given the choice. She understood her place in the castle, but that didn’t mean she had to be happy with it.

“That’s right.” She said, keeping her tone pleasant. “What do you need first?”

Hunk had a plethora of tasks for Bella, from peeling strange looking (what she could only assume are) fruits, stirring the concoctions in the pots and mixing until it felt like her arms were going to fall off.

Almost an hour later, Bella found that the hectic scene of the kitchen was starting to die down. She grabbed an oven mitt to shield her hand as she took out a tray.  

“Who’s all this food for anyways?” Bella called over her shoulder as she placed the tray down. She threw down her mitt and started cutting up some of the fruit beside Hunk.

“The Balmerans are visiting us.”

“You do realize I have no idea what that means?” Bella said with a slight giggle. She noticed how often Hunk did this, acting as if it were common knowledge. Bella didn’t mind, she liked to think it was because Hunk thought of her as part of the group, she was one of them so obviously she knows what he’s talking about.

“Right.” He said, laughing at himself a bit. “The Balmerans are our friends. They were slaves to the Galra and we saved them.” Hunk explained. Bella cringed a bit at the mention of the Galra but she was instantly distracted when she noticed a slight blush dust Hunk’s cheeks. “A friend of mine, Shay, she’s Balmeran. She’s coming tonight.”

Bella nudged Hunk, a knowing smile gracing her lips. “Just a friend you say?”

“Just a friend.” Hunk confirmed as he nudged Bella with his hip, successfully knocking her onto the floor.

Hunk let out a roar of laughter that Bella couldn’t help but emulate.

It seemed Shiro had the worst timing today. He walked into the room to see Bella giggling on the floor while Hunk was chuckling at her, offering a batter-covered hand up off the floor.

“I see we’re being very productive.”

The two froze at the sound of the black paladin’s voice.

“The Balmerans have arrived.” Shiro continued. “You might want to get cleaned up, Hunk.” He said, chuckling a little at the amount of mess Hunk was able to accumulate all over himself.

“Right.” Hunk said, taking off his apron and jogging for the door.

“Have fun with Shay!” Bella called after him with a smile.

“Just a friend!” Hunk yelled back as he retreated down the hall.

Bella rolled her eyes but suddenly became aware of the awkward tension in the room. She felt that twinge of embarrassment pang in her chest. Shiro caught her dancing earlier, now he saw her laughing like an idiot on the floor. Embarrassment quickly slipped away and was replaced with fear. It worried Bella that she’d now created a poor reputation for herself from being caught slacking off. Would the simple task (hell, Bella would even classify it as the privilege) of cleaning be taken away from her because she was seen being so unproductive?

Her thoughts were interrupted by Shiro.

“Would you mind taking these out to the table?” He asked.

“Of course.” Bella replied a little too quickly as she grabbed a tray and tried to scurry out of the room but Shiro’s arm blocked the way.

“It was a little unfair of me to spring this on you, but you proved you can handle challenges. I’m impressed.” He said. “Thank you for being such a big help today.”

Bella was awestruck. She knew her relationship with Shiro was finally straying away from being on the enemy end of the spectrum, but she never thought he’d show any appreciation to her.

"No problem.” She said, her heart fluttering with pride in herself but also with admiration for Shiro. She couldn’t help the smile that was plastered on her face as she made her way to the dining room.

Bella didn’t realize how much food she and Hunk were able to make until she was on her fifth trip to the table. Thankfully it would be her last as she had one more tray left.

She found a space on the table and placed the tray down, admiring her feast for a moment until she heard voices coming down the hallway.

Team Voltron and the Balmerans entered the dining room, Shiro’s eyes widening when he saw Bella.

He made an attempt to direct the Balmeran’s attention elsewhere, but one of them had seen Bella. The Balmeran was beside Hunk and Bella noticed his nervous energy so there was no doubt in her mind that this was Shay.

“I don’t think I’ve met you before. I’m Shay.” Shay said, coming up to Bella, her family following close behind to get a glimpse of the new girl.

“I’ve heard so much about you. Very nice to meet you.” Bella said, eyeing Hunk.

“What’s your name dear?” Another asked.

“That’s nobody.” Shiro said, his voice seeming to echo throughout the whole room, or maybe it was only in Bella’s head. His tone was harsh, as were his words. Bella felt her mood shift along with the atmosphere of the room.

Shiro came around, grabbing Bella by the shoulders from behind, guiding her away from the group as he formed some sort of apology to the Balmerans.

He practically shoved her into Lance’s chest.

“Take her back to her cell.” He ordered.

Bella looked up at the man before her, almost heartbroken. She thought they were making progress, but here he was, embarrassed and ashamed by her presence. She wasn’t worthy to be in front of his friends, not worthy of a name. She was to be silent and invisible.

She wasn’t complaining that the Bunker and the Winchesters were the only things between her and the devil himself, but she couldn’t help but feel like she was being held prisoner.

Sam sat on a recliner to the left of Jane, pretending to browse on his laptop while he was actually watching Jane’s blank stare. He would’ve thought she was frozen if it weren’t for the slight movement of her thumb every few seconds, pressing down on a button that flipped through channels one by one.

It didn’t take a genius to notice Jane was bored out of her mind, which was why Dean was able to pick up on her behavior the second he walked into the room. The brothers made eye contact, silently speaking to each other.

Dean widened his eyes and raised his brows. What’s wrong with her?

I have no idea.

Talk to her.

What am I supposed to say?

I don’t know, think of something!

Sam scrambled to find something to say that didn’t feel awkward, but nothing came to mind. Thankfully, Dean took over the situation.

“Morning, kid.” He said, patting the back of the couch she sat on.

“Morning.” She called back, sounding nothing like herself. Her tone was deeper, slower, nothing like the chipper little girl Dean knew her as.

“You feeling alright?” Dean said, coming around to the other side of the couch, blocking her view of the TV.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” She said.

Dean wasn’t getting anywhere with her.

“Right,” He said, turning to his brother. “Well, Sammy, I’m gotta go grocery shopping. Your list on the fridge?”

Jane perked up at this.

Not giving Sam a second to answer she blurted out, “Can I come?”

Again the brothers shared a look, this time of panic rather than confusion.

“I’m not too sure bout that, kid.” Dean said hesitantly, glancing at Sam for assistance.

Jane twisted around on the couch, pleading to the oldest Winchester. “Please, Dean! I haven’t done anything all day. I’m losing my mind in here”

“I’m not sure if it’s safe, Jane.” Sam warned, taking his brother’s side.

“I have you to protect me.”

Dean went to make an objection, but Jane cut him off.

“You promised you would.”

“Staying here is protecting you.”

“It’ll be less than an hour. C’mon, Dean, please!”

It was hard to resist her eyes, a forest of greens filled with want, pleading so desperately.

“You do not leave my side, not for a millisecond.” He warned.

“I promise!” She said, jumping off the couch to throw on her sneakers.

Sam pulled Dean aside, sure to keep his voice in a whisper.

“Do you really think this is a good idea.”

“Sammy, I can’t say no to that face!” Dean joked.

Sam didn’t find it funny.

“If anything happens to her, Dean, I swear-”

“Nothing’s gonna happen.”

Jane had so many bags and boxes piled in her arms that she could barely see over them. She walked blindly towards their shopping cart, dumping her findings in.

Sam’s attention was brought to the crinkling wrappers as they plummeted into the cart.

“Absolutely not.” Sam said, charging over.

“What? Why not?”

“You’re gonna gain a million pounds if you eat all this.”

“Maybe I want to gain a million pounds.”

“Maybe we should go get some fruit.” Sam said, gathering the majority of the bags in his arms. “Put those back.” He said, barely managing to point to the box of brownies and donuts before going to return the bags to their aisles.

“Amateur.” Dean mumbled as he came to the cart, taking some of Jane’s sweets and hiding them under Sam’s bags of lettuce and carrots.

They shared a few giggles as they found hiding spots within the cart.

“Alright, now we just have to keep Sam distracted at checkout and we’re golden.”

“Piece of cake,” Jane said, thinking for a moment if she should sneak away to the bakery and actually get a piece of cake.

Suddenly there was the ear-piercing screech of a creaky wheel eerily approaching. The store was rather empty so the sound stood out, sounding a thousand times louder than it actually was. Jane watched as a woman came into the aisle, manning the cart with the squeakiest wheel in existence. Accompanying her were two other men.

Dean took note of their stares and instantly stood in front of Jane, making a fist by his side. He watched the three with narrowed eyes as they came closer and closer.

In perfect synchronization, the three blinked, revealing their demonic black eyes.

“Hi, Janie.” the woman cooed.

“Sammy!” Dean called as he shoved Jane further back.

“We’re not here to fight you, Winchester.” The female demon said, sounding a bit annoyed.

“Then what are you here for? Because it’s not her.” Dean said still very much on guard.

Sam came barrelling into the aisle, assessing the situation quickly. He stood by his brother’s side, ready to fight at the drop of a pin.

“I’m only here to give a message.” The woman spoke.

“We don't want to hear it.”

Jane watched as Dean and Sam argued with the demon. They were stalling, trying to find time to think of a plan but it was evident they didn’t have many options.

Oh god, please let us get out of this alive. She thought to herself, not expecting an answer, but one arrived nonetheless.

Suddenly there was a poof behind Jane. Whirling around they found Castiel.

There was a moment of confusion but nobody was complaining, now they outnumbered the demons.

“I heard your prayers, everything will be alright.” Castiel whispered as he joined the Winchesters in a wall before Jane.

“I’m gonna keep this short.” The female demon said, seemingly unafraid of the new addition. “Lucifer is rising, and he will have you, Jane.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure.” Jane called finding her voice. “I’ll never say yes to him.” She applauded herself internally for making her voice sound much braver than she felt.

“Dearie, it’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when.” The demon snickered. “Why, just ask the Winchesters.” She said with a sickening smile.  

Jane looked to Dean but he wouldn’t meet her gaze, neither would Sam. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Jane called, letting the brave tone in her voice falter slightly.

“Oh, they haven’t told you yet?”

“Shut up.” Sam grumbled.

“Is it a secret then? Don’t want little Janie to know the truth, know about the monster you were and what she’s destined to become too?”

“Enough.” Dean yelled.

“No, I don’t think it is.” She called. “Why don’t you tell her, Sammy?” She taunted.

Suddenly Castiel appeared before her, pressing his palm to her forehead before she had any time to react. A white light emitted from her mouth and eyes as she let out a shriek. Sam was spouting out an exorcism within seconds, clouds of black smoke shooting out of the mouths of the remaining demons.

Dean spun around, latching onto Jane’s arm. “I knew this wasn’t safe.” He muttered as dragged her over to Cas, practically throwing her against the angel.

“Get her home.” He growled. “Now.”

“Dean, wait.” Jane pleaded. She had questions, when didn’t she. But like always, the answer would have to wait as Jane found herself in the kitchen of the bunker rather than the grocery store.