Disclaimer: Nothing Supernatural belongs to me, just my character Angel and bits of the plot.

...

"Angel, c'mere a sec and tell me what you think about this," Sam asked, not looking up from his computer. Angel took a swig from her bottle of whiskey before getting up to help. "Demon or natural?"

"Could be either. It's subtle if it's demonic—it wouldn't be some run-of-the-mill crossroads demon or anything like that. There are a few monsters that could cause those storms too. It'd be worth investigating," she answered, looking at the bigger city it centered around with anticipation.

"Worth investigating or near more bars?" Sam asked, grinning at Angel.

"You don't pay me enough to insult me, honey," she remarked, grinning back and offering him a drink.

"I don't pay you at all," he retorted, taking the offered drink.

"Look at your credit card bills again, Sam," Angel chuckled, taking the whiskey back. "You'd better go tell your family you've found a hotspot."

"Come with me. Dean's been back long enough to handle meeting another hunter now," Sam suggested. Angel snorted.

"Yeah, another hunter. Is that what you're going to tell him? The rest of your family isn't buying that so much anymore," she told him. "I've walked over more salt lines and devil's traps in the past week than I have in my lifetime. One of them even poured out my last bottle of vodka and filled it with holy water."

"I told them you weren't a demon, but they wouldn't believe me," Sam pouted. Angel rolled her eyes.

"Let's go. Tell the boy I'm the tooth fairy for all I care," she instructed. They both got up and headed toward the living area of the compound. Sam's thoughts were occupied on finding a way to convince Dean that Angel was a good part of the team and that they needed her. Angel's thoughts were centered around the new city. She was ready to move on from the dead town they'd been staying, but she didn't like the idea of running into a powerful demon. She wasn't ready for the truth about her to be public. Convincing Sam had been hard. Convincing the others was more than she wanted to do—at least until she'd made herself indispensable to them.

"Hey, Dean," Sam greeted upon finding his brother alone at the table.

"Hey, Sammy. What's the pla—Who's that?" Dean demanded, his original, resigned inquiry stopped by the sudden addition of another new person.

"Name's Angel. Sam's been consulting with me for a few months now," Angel explained, noting the dozen empty beer bottles on the table with an internal smile. She'd heard the other Winchester boy was an alcoholic.

"We've been looking for demon signs. Angel thinks we've found a lead," Sam informed his brother. Movement near the doorway drew all their eyes, revealing Samuel Campbell. "Hey, we were just telling Dean we think we've found something."

"Good, we've been here too long. What'd you find?" he asked. Sam outlined the signs and Angel's theory.

"If I'm right, whatever it is seems to stay in place for around a month at a time. The signs just started a few days ago over here. We should have plenty of time," Angel added once Sam was finished.

"Good work. We'll pack up and leave in the morning. Are you two going to go scout it out?" Samuel asked. Dean looked up, trying to determine if Samuel meant Sam and him or Sam and Angel.

"I'll meet you there, but there's no need to send scouts. There's no rush on this hunt," Angel informed them.

"Why are you moving on early instead of waiting for the rest of us then?" Samuel asked. Angel gave him a look, her face scrunched up in displeasure that he asked her about her motives. It had been agreed early on that Angel wasn't to be questioned.

"She's on her last drink," Sam chuckled, taking the bottle of whiskey and holding it up to show everyone. Angel made a face at him. Samuel didn't stop his scrutinizing gaze. If anything, Sam's interference only made him more suspicious.

"A good enough reason to move out," Dean agreed after a moment, deciding that he liked the girl if his grandfather didn't. His month of time with the Campbells made him lose any desire to have had more family as a child. Angel nodded in Dean's direction and snatched her whiskey bottle back.

"Exactly. Shoot me a text when you have some data, Sam. I'll be around somewhere."

...

"Hey, shouldn't you call that girl before we go check this out? I thought you said she was a hunter," Dean asked Sam as he drove to the hotspot of activity, a local hospital. Sam shook his head.

"She's a consultant. She's good at tracking and she's the best against some monsters, but I don't call her until I know what we're up against," Sam explained.

"That's stupid. Whatever it is gets ganked once we find it and figure out how," Dean commented. "Does she ever help out on a hunt or does she always disappear?"

"She helps," Sam protested. "She's better at finding demon signs than anyone I know."

"You'd find them without her, Sammy. You're paying her for nothing," Dean remarked. Sam shook his head and gestured toward the building.

"Let's go see what we're up against," he suggested. Once the two made it into the building, they found what looked like the remnants of a fight—broken lights, debris strewn everywhere.

"I really hope you didn't expect me to let you go, love. You should know better than that," a voice said from the end of the hall. Dean looked concerned, but Sam only looked relieved.

"She beat us here. She must've found out what we were up against," Sam informed Dean. When they entered the room Angel's voice came from, they found her cleaning a blade absently beside a bound and gagged demon in a devil's trap.

"Hey, it was just a demon. I found out who it was and captured her," Angel stated, her eyes never leaving the woman. "Oh, and I need a new card, Sam. The one you gave me is maxed out."

"No problem. Did you question her before you gagged her?" he asked.

"Yeah, no dice. She was just generally wreaking havoc. Were you planning on killing her or exorcising her? The body's not in good enough shape for the host to survive more than a few minutes if you exorcise the bitch," Angel told him.

"What do you think, Dean? Should we free the host just for her to die or kill them both and get it over with?" Sam asked. Dean scowled.

"Is that a question? If we can exorcise a demon, we exorcise a demon," Dean answered.

"All you, Sam. I'm out. There's a man at a bar waiting for me—a few if I'm lucky," Angel droned, turning her back on them with a slight wave.

"Does she always just walk off like that?" Dean asked as Sam started the exorcism. "She captured a demon—nothing we couldn't do—and then disappeared again. Are you paying her for something else?"

"She's a good hunter, Dean. You of all people should know hunters aren't like other people," Sam reasoned once he finished exorcising the demon. Dean's quick work killed the demon before its smoky form had time to escape. The host had a few seconds to look afraid before her eyes glossed over and her head dropped.

"You make me feel so special, Sammy," Dean retorted, kneeling down to untie the corpse. "We burying the girl or just burning the building?"

"Burning," Sam answered. "We don't want to leave any evidence."

...

"What did you need help with? Our calls are never social," Angel asked as she met Sam in the seedy hotel he was staying.

"Dean and I have been off on our own for around a month now, but I wanted to know if you've seen or heard anything about the Campbells. Dean's not the hunter he used to be," Sam informed her. Angel scoffed and took a seat.

"From what I hear, you're something of a prodigy since your daytrip to Hell. Your brother doesn't seem any worse than the others, 'cept he's too soft toward kids," she commented. "I don't talk to the Campbells. They want to know too much and I've blocked Christian from being possessed too many times. And, before you ask, no, I won't babysit your brother. We wouldn't be any good together—hunting or otherwise."

"Blocked Christian from being possessed?" Sam asked.

"Oh, yeah. At least four demons have been sent to possess him. They don't exist anymore. I couldn't have them running stories back to whoever sent them," Angel answered.

"Do you know who sent them?"

"Didn't ask. I saw 'em, I stabbed 'em. Foreplay didn't seem relevant," Angel answered as she went to the fridge. "All you've got is beer? You usually get me something before you call."

"Dean's at the store now. I told him to bring back some hard liquor because you were joining us," Sam informed her.

"I'm joining you now, am I? I guess if you keep the liquor up and I get to sit out on the usual, I could do that. What's the plan now?" she asked, getting out two of the beers and handing him one before sitting back down.

"Run-of-the-mill hunting. We aren't bagging monsters like the Campbells," he answered.

"You still never told me why they're doing that in the first place. Not that it matters. You paid well," Angel shrugged, deciding she didn't really care. As long as she got to keep her secrets and was provided plenty of alcohol, the motives of her employers were irrelevant. Of course, the fact that they hated Lucifer and weren't overly fond of an absentee God didn't hurt.

"I didn't know if you'd help if you did," Sam shrugged.

"You'd better tell me, honey. That sounded an awful lot like I'm going to be angry," she replied, setting down her bottle of beer.

"They're trying to find Alpha monsters to get information about Purgatory."

"Is that all? That doesn't seem like enough to make me mad."

"They're working with a demon to do it. I've kept you from finding out. I figured Dean would accidentally spill it by now and save me the trouble, but he hasn't."

"As long as it isn't under Lucifer's orders, I don't care," Angel shrugged, lifting the beer bottle back to her lips. "So where should I stash my stuff if I'm staying? I don't need a bed, but I've got clothes and stuff I'd rather keep handy."

"Anywhere there's space. There's room in the Impala if you'd rather keep it there," Sam offered.

"I'll just stash it here for now. I don't want to have to track the car down every time I need something. Still think your brother would try to kill me if he knew who I was?"

"No doubt about it. We need to keep him in the dark almost as badly as we did the Campbells. He's got an angel's ear."

"You'd better scam a few more credit cards for me if I've got to worry about one of them. If you don't need me at the moment, I'll head out. You know how much I dislike beer and there's a bar a few blocks away that I've heard good things about. I'll swing by in the morning."

"Bring coffee for Dean, would you?"

"I'm not your servant, lover."

"I'll call Dean and tell him to get you a bottle of that bourbon you like so much."

"Fine. Just this once—and don't expect it to be good coffee."

...

Angel meshed more smoothly into the duo's hunting than Sam expected. She wasn't as surprised. An alcoholic and a ruthless hunter were the type of companions she could understand. Rumors of Eve, the monster-mother, started getting the attention of Sam. Dean was more concerned with his brother's soulless state and Crowley's involvement with the Campbells. Finally, one evening, he decided he needed more to go on. With the help of a few books and a call to Bobby, he set up what he needed to summon Crowley while Sam and Angel were out working on the current investigation.

"Well, well, well. You're so desperate for help you called me," Crowley remarked, standing in the devil's trap Dean laid without the slightest worry.

"Get my brother's soul back. We've worked for you long enough," Dean demanded.

"Hardly, squirrel. You haven't done half the things I have planned," Crowley answered, glancing at the table of the hotel room. "Why don't we go over there to talk? I have a few minutes and you know threatening me won't help you."

"Whatever it takes to get my brother's soul back," Dean grumbled, deflated, and erased a bit of the devil's trap with the toe of his boot. Crowley examined the bottles on the table before sitting down.

"This is a good batch of bourbon. Better than you two would pick out on your own. Who are you working with?" Crowley asked. The lock clicking in the door didn't phase him, but Dean looked toward it.

"We aren't finished, but Sam insisted we stop to get food. Apparently, it's necessary," Angel commented before pausing, staring at Crowley. He looked up at the sound of her voice and froze as well. She grinned after a moment. "Crowley. It's been awhile. Why are you here?"

"Delicia—Poena—or are you going by another name now?" Crowley asked.

"You didn't answer my question, darling, and you should know better than anyone how dangerous that can be," Angel warned. "I suggest you answer me—and get your hands off my bourbon."

"Angel, what's going on?" Sam asked.

"You're going by Angel now? I should've known you'd pick something like that," Crowley muttered. He knew better than to scoff, after all—or delay in answering her too long. "I'm here because that one summoned me. He wants his brother's soul back."

"Is that why he's so amoral? Poor duck used to be such a sweet roll, from what Daddy said. I wondered why he wasn't and why he felt so off. Sit down, Crowley. Here, have a glass of the bloody bourbon to calm your nerves. I won't hurt you unless you displease me," Angel instructed in a better mood, pouring a glass for the demon as she sat down.

"Would anyone care to explain what's going on?" Dean asked. Sam looked at Angel, hoping for her to explain.

"We're…old friends," Crowley hazarded, watching Angel out of the corner of his eyes. She smiled and poured herself a glass.

"Is that the story you're going with, pet? A strange set of friends we were, then. Anyway, so what's this about Sam's soul? I haven't heard this bit yet," Angel asked, lifting her glass to her lips.

"They've been working for me so I would get it back. The Campbells have been helping so I would bring Mary Winchester back," Crowley answered shortly.

"Oh, someone misses Mommy Winchester an awful lot if they're willing to work for you, lover. Now, then, where's little Sammy's soul and what have you been having all these people do?" Angel asked.

"His soul's trapped in the Cage with Lucifer and Michael. I've been looking for information on Purgatory. You wouldn't know anything, would you?"

"Trapped in the Cage! Oh, you've got them working for you on empty promises, haven't you, darling?" Angel chortled. "I always knew you were a bastard, but I didn't expect you to try anything as risky as this. Why do you need information on Purgatory? That doesn't seem like anything that would interest a crossroads demon."

"He's King of Hell now, or so he told us," Sam informed her. She snorted and threw her head back to laugh.

"Oh, son of three bitches, you're the ambitious one yet! I thought Daddy cured you of all that—or are you just holding things together for him until he comes back? Make my day and tell me that's your story—no, don't speak; you'll ruin the moment for me. Oh, do you have any idea what he'd do to you?"

"Are you going to continue this pointless torment or can I go?" Crowley sighed. Dean wondered exactly what sort of woman could hold the self-proclaimed demon king in place more effectively than a devil's trap, but the more he thought, the more he was concerned with her reference to empty promises. Angel smiled.

"You must not have missed me much, love, if you're ready to leave already. You haven't even finished your drink after I condescended to give it to you," she remarked. "Breathe no word of my existence to anyone and you may go. You know it would be in your best interests to listen to my little request. I expect we'll meet again soon."

"Doubtless. Don't summon me again, squirrel. The woman can reach me if you really need to contact me," Crowley said before popping out of the room.

"Really, acting like I'm a mobile. If he hadn't entertained me so much, I would've given him a few lovely scars, at least," Angel muttered.

"What was that about empty promises?" Dean asked once she stopped muttering.

"He can't get into the Cage to get Sam's soul. Without opening it again, your best chance is probably going to be Death—God Himself if you can swing it. Crowley can't do anything," she answered, draining the last bit of liquid in her glass.

"So he's been lying to us?" Sam asked.

"You should've known better, pet. He's a demon," Angel pointed out, nodding and rolling her eyes.

"Son of a bitch!" Dean exclaimed. "He's had us acting like his circus monkeys for nothing!"

"Of course he has. Did you really expect him to make some sort of fair deal when he knew he could convince you to work for a promise? No, he knows the two of you too well to actually give you anything. He's a demon," Angel reasoned, lifting the bottle of bourbon to her lips.

"Maybe he'll be more helpful now that we're in league with an old friend of his," Sam remarked drily, curiosity clear. Angel smiled again.

"Worried about competition, love? He doesn't interest me. He wouldn't pay what I would want. Anyway, don't expect any help from him on my watch. He'd kill me the instant he knew he could safely," she informed him. "Just as he knows I would kill him if he proved to be so much as an annoyance. You know me as a demanding employee. Imagine me as a friend."

"Why wouldn't he be able to pay enough? If he's King of Hell, he could give you whatever you wanted—money, prestige, the finest alcohol in the world. All I do is give you credit cards," Sam pointed out.

"Yes, but you want Lucifer to stay in the Cage and you want to find God—for questioning if nothing else. I have questions I want to ask and you two have been part of enough miracles to assure me that I'd get that chance if I was by your side. He'd kill Crowley on the spot," Angel answered easily. "The credit cards supplement the booze I get from the bastards at bars and the same bastards diminish my nighttime boredom. A few things to hunt and kill and I've got enough to survive. Speaking of hunting, you two need to start staking out that house. Send me a message if you require my assistance."

"So you can ignore it for a few hours before answering?" Sam snorted. Angel stood and stretched, smiling at Sam before she headed toward the door.

"An hour is being generous to most of the males of your species and this night's unlikely to be an exception. I'll be at the bar down the street from the house. This city sucks and the sooner we take care of this, the sooner we can move on."

...

"Did you tell Bobby you were bringing someone with you when you called, Sam, or am I just the surprise in the bottom of the Cracker Jack box?" Angel asked, tucking her feet into the back window of the Impala before laying down and taking out Sam's laptop. She thought being ten minutes out was a good reason to look up the town. Had she done it any earlier, she would've been too likely to find an excuse to leave.

"Not exactly," Sam answered, reaching back to shut his laptop. The glint of a blade led to a silent stare-off between the two.

"Bobby'll only be upset for a minute," Dean assured her. "Unlike me if the two of you mess up my car."

"If she gives me my laptop, that won't be a problem. You don't even know the password, Angel," Sam pointed out.

"Oh, sure, I don't. I don't know what porn websites you frequent either," Angel snickered, typing on the laptop. "Ooo, a most-watched video—'Busty—."

"Sam, let her use the laptop before I learn more about your…er…habits," Dean interrupted. Sam made a face at Angel and turned around in his seat. "Anyway, has Bobby found anything in his books yet, Sam?"

"He had a few possible leads when I called. He was going to follow them while we were on the road," Sam answered.

"This website you had up looks promising, Sam. It's good information. This Eve sounds like she'll be fun. I wish I knew more about her," Angel remarked. "That's a good point about Echidna—the Greek Mother of All Monsters. That seems to be what this Eve is—more or less, anyway."

"If Bobby doesn't know more, we should call Cas, Dean," Sam said. "He would know more."

"Why, so he can ignore us? Son of a bitch never answers anyway," Dean grumbled.

"Why haven't you at least tried if this Cas could be some help?" Angel asked.

"Dean doesn't like being ignored," Sam replied.

"You didn't tell me we were going to such a small town! Where am I supposed to exist while we're there?" Angel protested, gesturing at the map she'd pulled up on Sam's laptop. She gave him the laptop and leaned on the back of his chair hopelessly.

"There's a bar in the next town over. It should be enough for you for a few days," Sam chuckled. Angel groaned. "Bobby's got a pretty good liquor cabinet. I'm sure he'd let you check it out."

"We're about to find out," Dean remarked, parking the car in its usual spot. "Sam, get it over with and go tell Bobby you brought your girlfriend with you."

"Girlfriend," Angel snorted, climbing out of the car. "Just tell him I'm a hunter that's traveling with you. There's no reason to lie—and I'm not waiting outside like a dog."

The brothers glanced at each other and then shrugged. They entered the house and made their introductions as smoothly as possible. Bobby, used to the trouble the boys brought home, wasn't angry with the addition. If anything, he was surprised they managed to convince an attractive female hunter to go with them. Her interest in his liquor cabinet and clever impersonation as a dead body on his couch reconciled him to her presence. After everyone was more or less settled, Bobby pulled out the books he'd marked.

"The best I've found is phoenix ashes. It ought to kill her," Bobby informed them after showing them the data.

"Phoenix ashes? Okay, where do we get that?" Sam asked. Angel leaned over Sam's shoulder, pointing at a journal.

"There's Bobby's best answer. Samuel Colt," she said disinterestedly before picking up the book. She read a page or two before throwing it back onto the table. "I don't know how you're going to get the ashes. They're long gone by now and phoenixes were never common."

"Cas can send someone back," Bobby remarked. Angel crossed her arms over her chest, wondering again if she should ask who Cas was. She had a sinking feeling she really didn't want the answer. "Dean, you'd better tell him we have a plan."

"Bobby, I'm going to get another bottle of your liquor. Which one would you least like to lose?" Angel asked, heading into the kitchen. Bobby lifted a hand to protest before giving up and turning his attention to Sam and Dean. Almost instantly, Cas appeared in the room they were gathered.

"What is it?" he asked.

"We've found a way to kill Eve—phoenix ashes. Problem is, the only reference we could find was Samuel Colt's journal," Dean informed him. Cas picked up the journal and perused it silently.

"This isn't a bad batch, Bobby. The boys don't sing your praises well enough," Angel commented, reentering the room. The bottle shattered on the ground as Cas suddenly attacked her, pinning her to the wall by the throat. "Well, aren't you a far cry from the brother that took me to see a nebula because he thought I'd enjoy it?"

"Why are you here?" Cas demanded, pricking her neck with his angel blade.

"Use it like you mean it, Castiel," Angel laughed.

"Uh, Cas? What's going on?" Dean asked. Angel and Cas glared at each other for another moment before Cas took a step back, releasing her. Angel fell to the ground, rubbing her throat.

"Why are you working with this…woman?" Cas demanded of Dean while Sam helped Angel up.

"I'm a good hunter, Cassie boy, and who I work with is none of your business," Angel answered, crossing her arms over her chest. The proximity of Sam and Bobby made her feel certain Cas wouldn't try anything again unless she really angered him.

"What you do is the business of everyone who cares about the fate of this world. You were thought to be dead. Where have you been?" Cas demanded, turning on her. She took a step back, running into Sam. Oh, sweet roll's going to protect me, is he? Good. I've won his support and brother Castiel isn't likely to attack with one of his pet humans so close, Angel thought, drawing her strength.

"Oh, do you mean before or after Michael trapped me in the cage with Lucifer? I was there until it got opened—then I was in Hell. Once Da—Lucifer, I mean—got trapped again, I headed out on my own and teamed up with Sam and Dean here. Was I really supposed to be dead? Who was thought to have killed me, love?" Angel asked, ignoring the sudden stillness that had gone over the room. Sam's presence at her back was a reminder that at least one of the group more or less knew everything and had chosen to keep her around.

"It was thought that Lucifer killed you centuries ago," Cas answered.

"It's good to know the host of heaven gave me up for dead. I take it you've been taught to kill me on contact. I can still see you fingering that blade, lover. Leave it alone or do as Daddy Dearest taught you and slice my neck—if you can," Angel hissed quietly, pulling her ashy brown curls back. They glared at one another in silence.

"Is someone going to tell me what the hell's going on here?" Bobby demanded.

"I was introduced as Angel Cage—the name's a bitter joke. I was the last of the angels, the host of heaven's youngest sibling. When Lucifer fought with God, Michael was sent to throw Lucifer in the cage in Hell. I was thrown in with him. No one's ever explained why, but it doesn't really matter. I was left in the cage with Lucifer for millennia until he escaped. This body you see before you—Lucifer made it for me, mimicking Daddy Dearest's work. That's why Cassie tried to kill me and King Crowley nearly lost his nerve at the sight of me," Angel explained, sounding bored.

"So you're an angel?" Dean hazarded. Angel shrugged, going to the table to pick up an unopened bottle of beer.

"I was, anyway. I don't think there's a term for my type now, lover, for all the ones they've tried," she answered. "Sam already knew the gist of it. It doesn't change anything. I'm still your hired mercenary. Didn't you call Cassie dear to tell him about the way to kill Eve?"

Dean explained the situation to Castiel as casually as he could. Cas gradually turned his attention to the information and explained that they would have to send someone back for it.

"Do you have the energy to recall them if you send them back that far? That's no little jump and you're already worn," Angel pointed out, returning from the other room with a new liquor bottle to replace the broken one and the depleted beer.

"I can send them for a short period of time," Cas answered her, giving her a distrusting look.

"Hey, if you think you can do it, I'm not going to stop you. I just want to get paid," she shrugged, taking a drink to signify she was going to sit out the rest of the planning. They continued discussing for several minutes before the plan seemed reasonably set. Cas pulled Dean off to the side when the plans seemed to be made.

"I will not send you and your brother back while she is free nearby, Dean. It is too dangerous," Cas said. Dean glanced at where Angel and Sam were working on the computer.

"What do you want me to do about it?" Dean asked, uncertain how to appease Cas without angering Angel.

"A holy fire would contain her until the mission was completed," Cas answered, pulling a jar of the oil out of his coat. Dean glanced at Angel again and knew a fight was bound to break out. He called Sam over and explained it to him quietly, leaving it to him to convince Angel. Dean watched apprehensively as Sam went back over to Angel.

"What? You want me to be trapped for God knows how long like that? What if the house is attacked? You want to leave Bobby and a half-charged angel to protect you—not that Bobby's not a good hunter, but he'd be too distracted by protecting Cas to keep you two from being lost—and you really think that's a good idea?" Angel exclaimed, standing so quickly she nearly knocked over the table. "Put Cas in the holy fire instead. I won't be able to touch him and you'll have a full-fledged fighter out there to help Bobby."

"That's not a bad idea, Dean," Sam reasoned, looking at Dean in the hopes of convincing him so he could convince Cas.

"What do you say, Cas? She's got a point," he pointed out. Cas looked at Angel for a long moment, trying to decide if he trusted her enough for the plan to work.

"Fine," he agreed finally. Angel left while the others prepared. When they were finally ready, Cas sent the Winchesters back and then collapsed. Bobby sat down and watched, waiting for Cas to recover or Angel to return. He had a feeling that it was going to be a long day.