Broken Wings   von sakura44
                                 (GabrielxOC)
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                                      Now
                                      ---


Windom, Minnesota – 2016

“Morning…” Adam greeted while slowly walking into the kitchen. He
immediately got a cup of coffee, sat down at the kitchen counter and put his
left elbow on it, just to let his head rest in his left hand. A long yawn
escaped his mouth so he used his right hand to cover it.
“Good morning!” Amelia said, smiling lightly. She had finished breakfast a
few minutes earlier and was about to clean the dishes, but when she spotted her
cousin she stopped what she was doing right away. Instead, she went over to him
and placed her arms on the kitchen counter.
“Did you sleep at all last night?” She asked frowning. Adam looked very
tired and he was a bit pale. It was Saturday; however, he wasn’t hung over or
sleepy from a night out. Sometimes, she wished it would be because of that.
“Nope.” The young man replied shortly without looking at her. He couldn’t
stand the worried expression on her face; it always made him feel guilty or sad.
He took a sip of his coffee.
“Adam, I know you still want answers. But it’s been almost three years. Let
it go.”
“I can’t.” He spoke, glancing at her and then focusing on the coffee cup
in his hand. “I know I’m close to finding what I’m searching for, I only
hit a dead end. That’s all.”
„Maybe you should take a break. You know, find a job or go on holiday or start
a hobby. And then you can get back to research.” Since Adam had finished
university, all he did was searching for information about his father. Unlike
Amelia, he didn’t get a job after his degree. She wasn’t angry with him, yet
she wished he would work at least a few hours a day to get his mind off of the
incident that had happened three years ago. Thanks to the insurance money left
by her parents as well as Kate, they didn’t have to worry about their
financial status. So that wasn’t Mia’s concern. It never was. She cared
firstly about Adam and his mental state.
Suddenly, Adam’s face lit up and he stared at his cousin like he just had the
biggest idea ever. You could nearly see the lightbulb above his head.
“Sis, you are a genius!” He shouted excited, jumped on his feet, took his
coffee cup and rushed out of the room, leaving Mia perplexed. She sighed and
eventually went back to cleaning the dishes. Whatever idea he had, she would
know soon. Even if she didn’t wanna know.
The young man didn’t leave his room for another few hours and she didn’t
bother him. She decided to go for a walk as it was a sunny spring day and it
often helped her to clear her head. Unfortunately, this time it gave her the
opportunity to think about her life and mostly all the bad things that had
happened in the past ten years. Her birthday was coming up. In two days she
would turn twenty-four but it didn’t matter anyway. She had stopped
celebrating this special day after her aunt Kate had died. She knew it was dumb,
however, from time to time she thought that the deaths in her family had been
her fault. That somehow, she was bad luck.
After an hour, Amelia came back home. Today was her day off and she was bored.
She liked working, it kept her going and from thinking too much. Perhaps she was
the one who needed a hobby, except with the frequently twelve-hour shifts at the
hospital that wasn’t so easy to manage. Adam and she spent as much time
together as possible, still she felt more and more lonely. To distract herself
from these depressing thoughts, Mia sat down on the couch in the living room and
turned on the TV.
Later, she cooked dinner although she knew that her cousin probably wouldn’t
eat with her. As long as he ate, it was alright with her. Besides, she would
make sure of that.

“I got it!” Adam exclaimed thrilled. He was walking into the living room at
a hurried pace and with his characteristic grin on his face.
“You got what?” Amelia asked confused. She was sitting on the couch, looking
up from the book she was currently reading and focusing on him.
“Everything.” He seemed as if he had found the cure for each illness in this
world.
“Could you be more specific?”
“Okay, listen.” Her cousin sat down on the coffee table in front of her.
“You said I should go on holiday and that reminded me of something. So, I went
through my mom’s stuff again and I found this picture.” He paused to show
her the mentioned photograph. “Of course, you recognize my father on the left.
And the man standing next to him? His name is Mike Guenther, he owns the auto
repair shop you can see in the background.” He flipped the picture so that she
could see the text written on the back.
“Dear Kate and Adam! Greetings from Lawrence, Kansas. See you next holiday.
John.” Mia read out loud.
“Why didn’t I notice this sooner? The whole time, the answers were right in
front of me!” Adam laughed.
“What do you mean? It’s just a picture.”
“Don’t you wanna know how I could identify the man beside my father?”
“Okay… How did you identify the man beside your father?” Amelia inquired
for fun.
“I’m glad you asked!” He grinned. “I googled him. Well, the auto repair
shop to be exact. And I found it along with a phone number. So, I called Mike.
He told me that he hasn’t heard from John in a very long time but perhaps his
sons could help me contact him. Unfortunately, he doesn’t know where to find
them either. However, he also told me that John once has talked briefly about
his father, Henry Winchester, who has been working in Lebanon, Kansas while he
was still alive. John apparently often went there too.” Adam finished his
explanation, proud that his hard work finally paid off.
“I can’t believe it.” Mia spoke bewildered by the news.
“We have to go to Lebanon!”
“What? Hold on a second! Adam, do you actually realize what this all means?
You have brothers!”
“I realize that!” 
“Do you?”
“Yes! Maybe we can locate them there along with my dad.”
“What do you think they will say when we show up out of the blue and ask them
about… ghouls?”
“Only one way to find out.”
“I don’t know... How long does it take to drive to Lebanon, anyway?”
“Approximately seven hours.”
“Seven hours?”
“Mia, please! I’m so close to getting all the answers I’ve been searching
for. But I won’t leave without you.”
She sighed. She certainly hadn't been expecting this. Adam stared at her,
pleading and hopefully at the same time.
“Alright…” Amelia gave in. “When do we leave?”
“Thanks Sis, you’re the best!” Her cousin was overjoyed and gave her a
brief hug. She had to smile. “How about Thursday morning?” He suggested,
well aware of her work schedule.
“I have to work the nightshift on Wednesday. If nothing comes up, I can be
home Thursday morning as usual, maybe even sleep in the hospital beforehand and
then in the car. Friday is my next day off. So it works for me, I guess.” She
reflected.
“Great! We leave on Thursday.” Adam confirmed eagerly and stood up.
“Thanks again, Sis!” He grinned and left the living room as fast as he had
entered it.
Mia on the other hand was still very skeptical about their plan. Did they have a
plan? Well, they would figure something out.

The following days went by quickly. Nothing interfered with their schedule; this
is why they could leave on Thursday at 8:00 am. They arrived in the small town
called Lebanon at around 3:45 pm – they had taken a short break at noon to eat
something at a diner and to use the restroom. Without further detours they drove
into a parking lot in the town center and got out of Adam’s car – a navy
blue Chevrolet Cruze.
“So, this is Lebanon.” Adam said as he looked around. He was not exactly
impressed by his surroundings.
“Yes, here we are.” Amelia spoke and yawned. She was tired. She had merely
slept two hours in the car and not at all at night. Preferably, she would lie
down in a motel room and take a nap. But she knew that her cousin wouldn’t let
that happen until the evening.
“Okay, then let’s go.” He was highly motivated to walk through town and
ask the residents if they had any information on his father and brothers. He
only knew their names – John, Dean and Sam Winchester. However, in a small
town like this it wouldn’t be too hard to meet someone who could help finding
them.
“Dean? Oh, yeah, I know him! Comes in here several times a week, buys mostly
beer and chips and such stuff. Don’t know where exactly he lives, though.”
The guy in the convenience store they were now standing in told them
good-tempered. It meant that his brothers were in fact staying in this town.
Adam paid the two water bottles along with the chocolate bar and thanked the
other man politely. Back on the sidewalk, Mia unwrapped the chocolate bar and
took a bite. She loved chocolate and at the moment, she urgently needed some.
They continued their search right away, which meant walking into a few other
stores as well as the post office. Some of the people there knew the
Winchester-brothers; yet no one could enlighten the two strangers with any more
details. “Somewhere out of town.” Was the response they received the most
when it came to the question where Sam and Dean lived.
After three hours of wandering and asking around, they decided to call it a day
and eat something at the diner before heading to their motel.
“Hi! What can I get you guys?” The young waitress inquired smiling as they
were still looking at the menu.
“I’ll have a glass of water and a salad, please.” Amelia ordered friendly.
She wasn’t very hungry since they had eaten lunch.
“I’ll take some French fries and a coke.” Adam replied. “And can I ask
you something?”
“Sure!” The waitress responded cheerfully and took the menus back.
“Do you know Sam and Dean Winchester? They are supposed to live around here
somewhere.”
“Yes, I know them. They occasionally come here and eat. I remember they once
said they stayed out of town, but that’s all.”
“Okay, thanks anyway.” Adam was slightly disappointed.
“You’re welcome!” The woman gave him another smile and went to serve
another table.
“We should drive out of town tomorrow and search the area. They can’t be
staying too far away.” He pondered afterward.
“We can do that. Sounds like a good idea.” Mia approved smiling. They
couldn’t give up just yet. They were close to finding the brothers. Very
close, as they would realize soon.
“Hey, it’s your lucky day!” Their waitress declared delighted while
setting their drinks on the table. “Sam and Dean… there they are.” She
pointed at the two men who entered the diner right at this moment and left
again. Adam turned around immediately.
“Unbelievable!” Then he faced his cousin, excited and surprised at the same
time. 
Amelia was puzzled as well. They had searched for hours and now the brothers
were standing in the same diner they had dinner in.
“Do you wanna go talk to them?”
“Not yet.” Adam reckoned as he observed Sam and Dean. They sat down four
tables away from them. 

So, Adam and Mia ate their dinner, paid the bill and eventually went outside to
wait for the brothers there. A few minutes later, the two men were also leaving
the diner and it seemed as if they were having an animated conversation over
something.
“Dean, how can you always hit on the waitress when she clearly said that she
wasn’t interested?” Sam asked reproachfully.
„Because I can, Sammy. Because I can.” The older Winchester answered
teasingly and tapped his brother firmly on the shoulder. Sam scoffed and shook
his head in disbelief. Dean would probably never change.
“Sam and Dean Winchester?” Adam interrupted their little argument while
approaching them. He already knew who they were; nevertheless, he wanted to make
sure. Mia kept a little distance to the three men.
“Yeah?” Dean grunted, eyeing the younger guy suspiciously.
“Hi! My name is Adam Milligan and I’m your brother.”
“Sorry, what?”
“John Winchester, he is my father too.”
Dean looked at Sam, skeptical of what he had just heard. Sam shrugged with his
mouth open in disbelief, but he couldn’t say anything.
“I have proof.” Adam added and pulled a photo of him and John out of his
pocket to show it to his brothers. Sam received the picture and stared at it.
Although Dean took a look at it as well, he still was doubtful. There was so
much shit going on in their lives that he couldn’t trust anyone that easily.
“Who’s she?” He therefore inquired and nodded towards the blonde woman
behind Adam. His voice sounded a bit softer than before.
“I’m Amelia, his cousin. But you can call me Mia.” She replied smiling.
“How did you find us?” Sam asked astonished.
“The guy who owns the auto repair shop John worked at told me that he went to
Lebanon a few times. So I thought we should start our search for him and you
here.”
“Well, you found us. Now what?” Dean stated a bit harshly.
“We wanna talk to you and John. We have questions about an incident of three
years ago.”
The two older brothers faced each other once again, considering the request of
the younger one.
“Okay.” Dean agreed, surprisingly smiling lightly. “Follow us.”
“Where are we going?” Amelia was somewhat anxious.
“To our car, we better talk there. And after that, we can drive home to John.
But if you don’t want to...”
“No! It’s alright.” Adam cut him short. “It will be fine.” He turned
to his cousin with a soft smile. She nodded tentatively and consequently, they
followed the Winchesters to their parking spot. “Nice car!” He spoke
impressed as they were standing next to the black Impala. It was the same car
John had always driven.
“Thanks!” Dean smirked briefly and cleared his throat. “Before we talk, we
have to check the water in the trunk.” 
He gave Sam a meaningful look. Still, it took a few moments until the younger
realized what his brother intended. “Uh, yeah, right. Just a sec.” Sam said
a little tense.
Adam and Amelia were frowning and wondering what the two men were about to do.
Maybe it hadn’t been the best idea to just follow them here?
Nonetheless, Dean and Sam opened the trunk and momentarily rummaged in it. They
seemingly found what they were looking for since they now closed it and stepped
in front of their new acquaintances. Each of the brothers was holding a silver
bottle in their hands which they unscrewed instantly.
“What’s that?” Adam examined them suspiciously.
“Water.” Dean replied and without further warning, he and Sam splashed some
of the liquid in Adam’s as well as Mia’s face.
“What the hell?!” The youngest Winchester shouted, angry and perplexed at
once.
“What was that for?” Amelia was equally irritated and in addition to that
extremely exhausted. “We have driven seven hours to get here, were running
around all day searching for you and you spatter us with water? You could’ve
just told us to leave.”
“Listen, we are sorry. Let us explain.” Sam apologized genuinely and since
he didn’t get a rejection, he continued. “This is holy water. We wanted to
make sure you weren’t demons.”
“What? This is a joke, right?” Adam asked unconvinced.
“Look, we are hun-“
“Sam!” Dean stopped his little brother. “Don’t say it.”
“But-“
“First, let’s call Cass. He should check them out. Then we can tell them
everything.” 
“Alright…”
“Who’s Cass? What the hell is going on?” 
“Cass?” Dean called out, ignoring the questions of his youngest brother.
“Cass, come on! We need you!”
Suddenly, a man in a beige trench coat appeared out of nowhere. “Hello, Dean!
Hello, Sam!” He greeted calmly.
“Dammit, Cass! I told you not to do that. Personal space, remember?” Dean
scolded his friend who was standing right in front of the two brothers. A bit
too close, which is why they took a step back.
“I’m sorry.” Cass said regretfully.
“Yeah, whatever… Cass, do your thing on these two. We need to know if they
are who they say they are.”
The man in the trench coat turned around to face Adam and Amelia, who were still
perplexed by his sudden appearance. “I understand.” 
“Whoa, wait a second! No one is doing anything until you explain to us who
this guy is.” Adam demanded flustered.
“My name is Castiel. I am an angel of the Lord.”
“You are… an angel?” Mia asked stunned. She didn’t believe in God, yet
she had always believed that there was… something else.
“Yes. And I am going to read your mind now.” He answered friendly and
approached her. 
Her cousin wanted to interfere but she stopped him. “It’s okay.” She
assured him smiling.
Therefore, Castiel placed two fingers on her forehead and immediately, his eyes
began to glow. After a few seconds, he removed his hand and his eyes returned to
their normal form. “They are human and mean no harm.” He confirmed softly.
“Thanks, Cass!” Sam was relieved. It didn’t happen too often that they met
someone who wasn’t tricking them.
“Alright! Now we know you’re not going to kill us. Let’s talk!” Dean
declared, still not very pleased that they had to take two strangers home. They
couldn’t chat in the parking lot of the diner though.

About fifteen minutes later, they were sitting in the bunker where Sam and Dean
lived. The two brothers really told Amelia and Adam everything. That their
father had died in 2006. That angels, demons, vampires, werewolves and many more
monsters existed. That all of it was real and not only folklore or fairytales.
That they were hunters who killed those monsters. And that they had to stop the
Archangels Michael and Lucifer from carrying out the Apocalypse.
Understandably, Mia and Adam were speechless. However, they asked the brothers
about ghouls and what these monsters had to do with John. Sam and Dean didn’t
know either, so they read in their father’s diary. He had indeed written
something about ghouls. In January 1990, he had killed a male ghoul but was hurt
in the process, which is why he went to the hospital where Adam’s mother Kate
had worked. They spent a night together and nine months later, Adam was born.
Now, everything made sense – especially the circumstance that his father had
rarely visited. He had been hunting all the time.
“And that’s it.” Sam said and closed John’s diary.
“Thanks, I guess.” Adam spoke hesitantly.
“Well, I think we occupied you two long enough. We should go. Thank you for
everything.” Amelia reckoned while putting her left hand on Adam’s right
shoulder and standing up from her chair.
“It’s late. You can sleep here if you want.” Sam suggested kindly. 
“Sam!” Dean wasn’t happy about his brother’s idea.
“Come on, Dean! It’s really late and we can’t let them drive to a motel
when they are already here. It’s only one night.”
Dean briefly thought about Sam’s suggestion. “Alright… Dammit! I swear to
God, if you two do anything stupid, you are out on your asses in no time!”
“We won’t, we promise!” Mia smiled, not at all intimidated by the angry
man in front of her.
So, they got their bags from Adam’s car and went straight to bed because they
were exhausted anyway.
Only one night. Neither of them knew then that this was simply the beginning of
a journey they had to accomplish together. And that they would soon get company
– even if he was not really welcome.

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