“I don’t understand…” Sam pulled the stocking cap down over his head.

“We are going to a party,” Adelia smiled and reached up for his hat.

He leaned over so she could adjust it. “I get that, but why do we have to dress up?”

“We can’t just go in as a big group,” Everly rolled her eyes and swatted Dean’s hands away from the tie he had been struggling to knot in the mirror. “We have to look like we belong, and not with each other.”

“They will recognize us,” Dean grumbled, his voice flat.

“Naw!” Adelia grinned as she stepped back and looked at the hat on Sam’s head. “You will be surprised by what people will overlook.”

“It’s crooked.” Sam looked at the bill of the knitted hat, his eyes crossed.

“It’s fashion,” Everly grimaced at the awkward looking giant, “Which you boys obviously know nothing about.” She looked back to Dean who was pulling on the collar of his shirt.

“What?” He demanded.

“Nothing,” She growled, crossing her arms she turned to look at Adelia and Sam. “You two look like you belong together.”

Sam looked down at the clothes they had placed him in. His jeans were too tight, and the black shirt even tighter, the tennis shoes Adelia had held up for him with a grin plastered on her face were uncomfortable and the hat that was sitting tilted back on his head made him feel like an idiot.

“I don’t know about this.” He looked at his brother with envy. “What can’t we dress like that?”

Dean looked down at his three piece suit and tie, and back to Everly who was wrapped in a tight dark-green, satin dress. He loved how her dark hair was swept to the side in a high ponytail and held there with a jeweled clip, allowing the curls to spill over her bare shoulder.

“What?” Everly grumped this time.

“Nothing,” He looked at Sam, his face contorted in a plea of ‘are you kidding me?’

“We aren’t meant to look like we are a group, and if we all dress the same it will be obvious we are together,” Adelia puffed out her bottom lip. “Don’t you want to be paired with me?”

Sam’s eyes grew wide at the girl’s pouting face. “I… I uh,” he stammered, his face turning red.

“Watch it there Sammy,” Dean continued to pull on his collar. “It’s those big eyes that get you into trouble.”

“Would you stop that!” Everly swatted Dean’s hand away from his neck.

“Anyway what about them?” Dean demanded, motioning to Castiel and Violet who were seated at the small dining table in their hotel room. “Why don’t they have to play dress up?”

“They can’t go,” Everly frowned at him. “You should be able to figure that much out, I mean, he’s a fucking angel, Jackass.”

“What about her?” he pointed to Violet who only glanced up from her book.

“Violet would be caught by anyone keeping guard, if they are at all smart,” Adelia reapplied her lipstick in the mirror over the dresser. “She stands out to most magic folk.”

“I must confess,” Castiel glanced briefly at the redhead. “Since I saw her with the demon, I can see that she is different from a normal human.”

Violet paused mid-sip of her coffee, her eyes wide.

“Different?” Sam raised an eyebrow.

“Yea,” Dean leaned over and locked eyes with the girl. “She looks the same to me.”

“You’re freaking her out!” Everly pulled on his jacket. “Leave her alone.”

“I don’t know how to explain it…” Castiel smiled softly. “She just looks different.”

Dean stared at his angelic friend for a moment before grinning. “You sir…” he shook his head while waving a finger at the confused man. “You sir are turning into the pizza man, and she is your babysitter.”

“What?” Everly scrunched up her face.

“Okay!” Sam clapped Dean on the back. “It’s time for us to go, right? Don’t want to miss out on that party!”

“Why is Violet like a babysitter?” Adelia looked up at Sam as they left the room in a hurry.

“It’s nothing,” he smiled at the small girl before glancing nervously at Castiel. “Nothing, I promise,” he pulled the door closed behind them as they left.

Castiel looked to Violet, the only other person left in the room, “Now what?”

She had closed her book and placed it on the table. Her hands were folded tightly and shoved in her lap, her cheeks red as she averted her eyes, “they were supposed to take me back to the hotel.”

“Oh,” Castiel stood from his seat. “I would be happy to transport you back if that is what you wish.”

“Oh, no, no, no…” her eyes were wide as she waved her hands in front of herself. “I can just walk back, it’s alright.”

“That isn’t very safe,” he frowned. “At least permit me to escort you on your walk.”

“That would be alright,” she smiled slightly. “Thank you.”

~*~

The music was pouring out of the heavy steel door that led into the unused beer factory. The line was long, and the pairs were caught in the middle.

“This is uh,” Sam glanced around, “a rough area.”

“I think we need to be more worried about what is inside this thing than what is out here,” Adelia’s face was serious.

“Yea,” Dean frowned as well, “I would feel a lot safer with my bag.”

“No worries,” Everly smiled and lifted up her skirt, revealing her thigh holster, “a girl’s gotta come prepared you know.”

Dean smirked, “You sure do like your guns, don’t you?”

“It runs in the family,” she dropped her skirt.

“Yea, I couldn’t help but overhear your last name at the station,” Sam adjusted his hat, “Helsing? As in, Van Helsing?”

“The one and only,” Everly sighed.

“Wait, what?” Dean’s voice got a little too loud.

“Shhhhhhh!” Everly glared at him, “yea, my family is descended from Abraham Van Helsing.”

“Van Helsing?” Dean stared at her in disbelief, “As in the vampire hunter?”

“He was more of a doctor,” Everly shifted uncomfortably, “but yea.”

“What about you?” Dean looked to Adelia, “Are you family of Frankenstein or something?”

“No,” Adelia’s voice was soft as her eyes found the ground.

“She doesn’t know who her parents were, Jackass,” Everly punched Dean in the arm.

“Ow!” Dean rubbed his arm, “sorry, I didn’t know.”

“Of course you didn’t,” Everly crossed her arms, “we barely know each other.”

“So, where did you grow up then?” Sam’s voice was soft as he rested a hand on Adelia’s shoulder.

“I grew up in China,” Adelia smiled, “in a Buddhist monastery.”

“Hey, that’s pretty awesome,” Dean nodded. “It would be peaceful, I suppose.”

“Oh, it was!” her eyes lit up, “it was so beautiful in the mountains!”

“Don’t let her fool you,” Everly rolled her eyes, “it was more than just prayers and celibacy up there.”

“What do you…” Sam’s question was cut off by the banging on the door they had slowly ended up in front of as the line had dwindled.

“What is life’s greatest illusion?” the raspy voice asked.

Everly cleared her throat, “Innocence, my brother.”

“Welcome home,” they could hear the heavy latch on the door come loose.

“Well that wasn’t creepy at all,” Dean reached out and pushed the door open, holding it for both the girls to scurry ahead of him.

“Alright,” Everly looked at her watch, “we meet back here in two hours, got that?”

Del nodded, her eyes serious.

“Let’s go,” Everly smiled sweetly and wrapped her arm in Dean’s, “Dear.”

“What?” Dean looked at Sam, who only shrugged.

“I don’t know that…” Dean’s voice faded into the thudding of the bass driven music and dull roar of the teaming crowd below.

“Alright,” Del looked up at Sam before slipping her hand into his, “they have the hard part, you know what we get to do?”

Sam shook his head, his brow furrowed in confusion.

“Party!” Del threw her arms in the air and pulled Sam along behind her as she headed for the bar.

Sam frantically looked around trying to make out what was going on in the room he had been drug into, “Del, I uh, I don’t think this is a good idea,” he glanced around nervously as she ordered drinks from the bar.

“Two shots of your strongest tequila please,” she grinned and handed the young bartender a credit card, quickly she glanced at Sam, taking in his height, “make that four!” she called after the retreating man.

“I don’t think this is the best time to be doing shots,” Sam elbowed his way into standing beside her at the bar.

“What are you talking about?” Del grinned up at him, “Parties are the perfect places to do shots! Loosen up a bit will ya?”

“We don’t know what could be in here,” Sam stooped low so his face was close to hers, “I don’t want to be ‘loose’.”

She frowned, Sam was shocked by how serious her face was, “Look here,” her voice was low and commanding, “I know what I am doing, this has been my job for longer than you have been as tall as a moose, you dig?”

Sam nodded, there was something in her eyes that made him more nervous than the idea of being in this room full of the unknown.

“Now,” her smile returned, “drink up, Sammy!” she thrusted three shots his direction and downed her own.

~*~

“Alright,” Everly glanced around herself quickly, “how good is your memory?” she turned to look at Dean.

“It’s as good as most I suppose,” he nervously glanced around.

“I guess that will do,” she frowned. “We have a map of the caves in this area back at our hotel room, we need to circulate this place as much as we can without drawing attention and try to remember what they have in each room. Make careful note of all areas that are off limits, we need to be finding out what is happening behind the scenes here.”

“I think I can manage that,” Dean flashed her a smile, “making my way around parties is kinda my specialty.” He straightened his tie and began to walk away.

“What do you think you are doing?” she hissed through her teeth as she grabbed his sleeve.

“I thought I was supposed to mingle and make my way around…” he raised an eyebrow.

“No,” she shook her head, “that is a good way to get yourself in a lot of trouble. You stick with me, we are here together, you understand?”

He nodded.

“Amateur,” she shoved her arm through his and plastered a fake smile across her face, “let’s go this way.” She led him off in the opposite direction of where they had come in.

The cave system was expansive and winding. It wasn’t long before Dean was lost in the vast network of caverns. Everly seemed to be able to keep track of where they had been, so he just followed her lead, making small talk with those around him, holding drink after drink, trying to find the perfect amount to keep him walking the line of alert, but fitting in. There were rooms with old bars built in, rooms with shallow bathing pools that were filled with young, naked, attractive attendants, a room with a theatre that was playing what Dean hoped was a Hollywood horror film, and not what he feared it really was. The rooms continued to unfold before them, every space filled with something new and equally as shady the room before.

Finally Everly stopped moving and leaned against him lightly, “I am beginning to have trouble focusing,” she rubbed her temple.

“You alright?” his brow furrowed in concern, “have you drunk too much?”

“I haven’t drunk anything,” she sighed, “I am beginning to get tired mapping this whole thing in my head, normally this would be Violet’s job, so I am rusty.”

“You have been mentally mapping this cave system the whole time we have been here?” Dean wrapped an arm around her, “we’ve been here a long time, a few hours at least.”

“No, we’ve been here way longer than that,” she tried to steady herself.

“Can’t have been too much longer,” he pulled his phone from his pocket, the screen was dark and wouldn’t respond. “How is it dead? I charged it before we left.”

“It’s all part of it,” she groaned and checked her watch, “it’s almost five in the morning.”

“What!?” Dean yelled.

“Shhhhh!” she hissed at him, “keep it down!”

Dean glanced around to make sure no one had noticed his outburst, “how have we been here that long?”

“Time distortion,” Everly put more weight on his arm, “you hang out with Violet long enough, you learn to feel it when she is not there to negate it.”

“We need to get out of here,” Dean looked around, “any idea where Sam and Del are?”

“Don’t worry,” she smiled, “he will find us.”

When they managed to make their way back to the entrance of the club Sam was waiting for them by the front door.

“Where have you guys been?” he looked exhausted, “I have been looking for you two everywhere!”

“Yea, it’s been a bit of a crazy ride,” Dean smiled, “where’s the little one?”

“I lost her,” Sam held his arms out, “I don’t know what happened, she was there one second and the next thing I know she was gone, disappeared into the surging crowd.”

“What?!” Dean barked, “how did you manage to lose her?”

“We need to get out of here before we continue this conversation,” Everly was rubbing her temples, “it will be alright, we just need to go… now.”

“But…” Sam was panicked, “I lost her, she is still somewhere in here. You guys go ahead back to the cars, I will keep looking.”

“No,” Everly shook her head, “you won’t find her. Just come with us and I will explain.”

“Come on,” Dean wrapped his arm around Everly again, “we need to get her out of here.”

“Okay, okay, you’re right,” Sam nodded as he followed them back up the stairs. He paused and took one last look over his shoulder at the turning mass of people still packed into the cavern like sardines in a tin. Her pink hair was nowhere in sight.

~*~

Violet’s flats on the cement were the only sound that could be heard as the pair walked along the sidewalk.

“So, how long have you known your friends?” Castiel finally broke the standing silence.

“Oh, Del I have only known for about ten years,” she smiled, “but I have known Everly since she was very small, we are like sisters.”

“And the three of you have always been hunters?” he looked up from the ground he had been focusing on and glanced at her.

“Everly was raised to be a hunter, she comes from a family who has it in their blood to hunt,” she clasped her hands together in front of herself, “we have been hunting together since she turned fourteen.”

“And what about your family?” Castiel smiled at her, “are they hunters as well?”

“No,” her hands tightened around themselves, “my parents both died when I was very young, and I was taken to live with Everly’s grandparents, that is how we met.”

“So you grew up together?” he noticed her nervousness and thought he should move away from the subject of her family.

“You could say that,” she smiled again.

“Are you hungry?” Castiel motioned to a small restaurant, “it is getting late, and you do need to eat.”

“Thank you, but I probably won’t eat tonight,” she stopped walking and looked at the families sitting outside the small Italian café. “My stomach is always in knots when they are out on a case without me.”

“You like to be there, to know what is going on,” he stopped walking and stood beside her.

“I like to know I can protect them,” her vision was far away, focusing on something only she could see.

“They seem strong,” he leaned forward to get a better look at her face. He didn’t really understand what she could do for them that they couldn’t do for themselves. Her frame was so small, and she seemed so delicate. “I know you are different from a normal human, I have never seen or heard of anything quite like what you did last night to that demon, but I think they are capable of keeping themselves safe.”

“They are,” her vision returned to where they were and for the first time since they left the motel her gaze met his, “but I like to protect those I care about.”

“You aren’t alone in that,” he smiled at her and continued walking along the sidewalk, “let me know if you see something you would like to take back with you for later.”

“I will,” she smiled at him, “Thank you.”

This time it was Violet who broke the silence between them, “you know,” she stopped and looked at Castiel, “you aren’t quite what I thought an angel would be like.”

“Everyone says I am shorter than they expect,” he chuckled.

“No, you are…” she paused, “kinder than I thought.”

“Oh,” he could feel the rush of blood to his skin as the emotional reaction from his vessel occurred, “thank you.”

“No, thank you,” she smiled, “I was terrified of you when I first saw you.”

“Well, I am glad you aren’t now,” he returned her smile.

“I am not,” she turned to begin walking again, but her smile faded as her shoe caught on an elevated concrete slab and she began to pitch forward. She closed her eyes and braced for the impact of the fall.

There was loud fluttering sound and she was suddenly held tight against something warm. She opened her eyes to see Castiel’s face hovering above hers.

“Are you alright?” he asked, his brow furrowed in concern.

“Yes…” she looked around, he was holding her with her legs draped over one of his arms, “thank you,” her eyes grew wide.

“What?” he looked up and around, “what is it?”

“Your wings,” her cheeks turned red as her voice grew quiet, “they are beautiful.”

“My… my wings?” he could feel more reactions from his vessel, and wasn’t sure what was going on, “you can see my wings?”

“Yes,” the red from her cheeks spread over her nose and to her ears, “they are so big.”

“Oh, um…” now he was turning red as he lowered her feet to the ground, “thank you.”

She smiled at him, “I also didn’t know angels could blush.”

“Yes well,” he covered his cheeks with his hands, “this is just my vessel, and I am not sure this has ever really happened before.”

“Well,” she turned and continued to walk down the sidewalk, “good to know it’s not just me.”

Castiel watched her walk about half a block ahead of him before jogging to catch up to her. He felt like there was much he needed to ask Dean about when they returned.