Bless the Broken Road

56. Are You There, God? It's Me, Dean Winchester

A woman was asleep on the couch. The TV and lights began to flicker. The woman sat up, looking alarmed, and when she exhaled, her breath was visible. She walked to a cupboard and started pulling out weapons as the phone rang.

A voice on the answering machine said, "Hey, it's Olivia. I'm not in. Leave a message."

Olivia took out an EMF reader, which started beeping and flashing.

"Olivia, it's Bobby. Call me back, would you? I got something big. I could use your help."

Olivia loaded a gun and walked around the apartment. She heard a noise and a thin, tall man appeared beside her. He was bruised and battered. She looked shocked.

"You!" Olivia cried.

Olivia fired at the ghost and he disappeared. She pulled out a bag of salt and covered a doorway entrance with it. The ghost appeared in front of her on the other side of the salt line.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Olivia said.

She backed up and turned around. A blonde, beaten woman grabbed Olivia around the throat, strangling her. Olivia screamed.

BOBBY'S HOUSE

Bobby was sitting at his desk with a pile of books in front of him. Lily was sitting at one end of the desk. Sam and Zach were sitting in chairs in the opposite corner talking to Dean, who was standing.

"Well, then tell us what else it could be," Sam said.

"Look, all I know is I was not groped by an angel," Dean replied.

"Okay, look, Dean. Why do you think this Castiel would lie to you about it?"

"Maybe he's some kind of demon. Demons lie."

Bobby and Lily looked up from the books at the brothers.

Sam frowned at his eldest brother. "A demon who's immune to salt rounds and Devil's Traps... and Ruby's knife? Dean, Lilith is scared of that thing!"

"Don't you think that if angels were real, that some hunter somewhere would have seen one... at some point... ever?" Dean shot back.

"Yeah. You just did, Dean."

"I'm trying to come up with a theory here. Okay? Work with me."

"Dean, we have a theory," Zach replied.

"Yeah, one with a little less fairy dust on it, please."

"Okay, look. Zach and I aren't saying we know for sure. We're just saying that I think we-" Sam was interrupted.

Dean cut him off. "Okay, okay. That's the point. We don't know for sure, so I'm not gonna believe that this thing is a freaking Angel of the Lord because it says so!"

"You three Chuckleheads want to keep arguing religion, or do you want to come take a look at this?" Bobby asked.

Sam, Dean and Zach walked over to Bobby's desk.

Bobby continued. "Lily and I got stacks of lore -- Biblical, pre-Biblical. Some of it's in damn cuneiform. It all says an angel can snatch a soul from the Pit."

"What else?" Dean pressed.

"What else, what?"

"What else could do it?"

"Airlift your ass out of the hot box? As far as I can tell, nothing."

"Dean, this is good news," Sam said.

"How?" Dean wondered.

"Because for once, this isn't just another round of demon crap. I mean, maybe you were saved by one of the good guys, you know?"