16. September 23rd

I didn't want it to come to this, and I knew Dean didn't want it to be this way either. But we had no other choice. He'd gotten his vessel. Unfortunately, taking him out meant taking out his vessel. I wasn't sure what Dean had gone through prior to this, but this had to be something he'd never wanted to have to do.

I certainly didn't want to have to do this.

We were searching for Lucifer in this creepy, abandoned place. He sure knew how to pick his battlegrounds. Though neither of us were keen on the idea, Dean and I had split up. Thanks to the experience from training, I felt a bit confident in confronting the Devil. Not that the confrontation would be easy for me or for Dean, whoever encountered him first. I'd rather we face Satan together than separate.

Dean was checking the ground floor and the basement, I got the pleasure of checking upstairs. This house was old, the stairs moaned and threatened to break under my feet. The floorboards were no better.

I nudged open a door with my foot before scoping it out. There was one grimy window for me to look out from. The walls looked like they hadn't been washed in ages. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust. A closet looked untouched.

The first thing I tackled was the closet. It was empty, minus the mice that scurried away from my flashlight. I squeaked and jumped away. I hated mice just as much as I hated snakes and spiders. Typical girl fears.

A muffled bang from downstairs had me running for the door. As I ran for it, the door swung shut, as though someone invisible had pushed it. I ran into the door, jiggled the knob. Nothing. Locked. I searched for a pin to get the lock. I had none.

"Damn it," I cursed. I stepped back a few before putting my foot to the door. It barely budged. All it did was shudder and hurt my foot. Wait. I aimed for the lock and tried to fire. What the hell? I shook the gun stupidly and tried to fire at the doorknob again. No bullets. But I had just loaded it!

He was definitely here. Who else would pull such a trick on me?

I did the only thing I could at this point.

"Dean!" I pounded on the door. "Dean, get me out!" I shoved my shoulder against the door. "Dean!"

"He's not gonna hear you, princess."

My head snapped round. He came out from the corner. I put the gun protectively in front of me though I didn't have any bullets thanks to him. I could feel a piece of me shattering as I saw him. He looked like Sam. He sounded like Sam. But he wasn't Sam.

Lucifer.

I didn't understand why he'd said yes to this bastard. Dean didn't understand it either. Would Lucifer tell me?

"You son of a bitch," I snarled. "Get out of him!"

"Why should I? Because you said so?" he taunted me. I yelped as the gun suddenly flew out of my hand and across the floor, far away from me. "Look at you, you poor, frightened, little girl. What made you think you were brave enough to do this?"

"Dean!" I shouted.

"He's not going to help you," said Lucifer. "No one will."

In a flash, Lucifer had me against the door, a large hand around my throat. I looked into the eyes that belonged to Sam, not Lucifer. The hazel eyes that told me I had a home with the Winchesters. The hazel eyes I knew since high school.

"Oh, and don't think to call for Sam. He won't answer." His lips twisted into a jeer. "I would love to crush your pretty little neck right here, but I've got a better idea. You see, a little birdy told me what happened to your family, and your house."

"Liar!" I hissed. The pressure increased. Black started to invade the corners of my vision.

"Sam may not be able to beat me, but he can still see what's going on. I think I'll let you suffer."

I hacked violently once Lucifer vanished. A violent heat suddenly shot at my back. I spun around, screaming as the door was suddenly alight. I ran to the window, pounding on the glass. The fire grew louder in my ears, I could feel the smoke polluting my lungs.

"Dean!" I looked down to see Lucifer looking up at me, even waving at me. I coughed into my hand, resting my head against the dirty window. I picked my head up and tried to think clearly. I wasn't making it out alive, I knew that much. I had two options: lay here and die, or go out fighting.

I picked option number two. I stumbled back towards the fire, which was now spreading along the walls and the ceiling. The smoke made the room even darker, making me lightheaded. I covered my mouth as best as I could, seeing the room start to tilt and distort.

I made a beeline for the window. Each step felt like five. But I didn't make it to the window; I collapsed three-quarters of the way there. My body became lead, almost impossible to move once it hit the floor.

My eyes were rolling back into my head, I still coughed. I could hear Lucifer's velvet voice in my head.

You had no chance.

***

I made sure to splash water on my face after I woke up from that. Just a nightmare, that's all that was. It's not going to happen. Lucifer won't win.

I jumped away from the loud knocking against the door.

"Give me a minute, would you?" I snapped. "You can hold it."

"You're not hogging the bathroom," came Dean's voice. I was very tempted to lock the door just because it was him. "Seriously, you're going out."

"What do you mean 'going out'?" I opened the door a smidge, just enough to peek one eye through the crack.

"Well, part of being a hunter is being good about your aliases." He held out a few things for me. I pushed the door wide open and took what he had for me. I tilted my head as I looked through these. They were all ID badges, all looked very professional. "Consider it my birthday gift to you, Dakota."

"Wait...today's September twenty-third?" I asked.

"Yeah."

Wow. I was twenty-six today. It felt like a milestone, though it was hardly thirty or forty I was turning. I guess since I'd been in a lot of danger lately I was grateful to be another year older.

"Wow." I looked up at Dean. "T-thank you."

"Don't get sappy on me, Dak." His mouth tried to quirk into a smile. "No chick-flick moments."

I rolled my eyes playfully at him. "Okay, so what does this mean exactly? I'm going on a case? Like, actually posing as an FBI agent?"

"Not yet you're not," came Sam's voice. I maneuvered my way past Dean to see Sam was already dressed. "Having the badges are one thing, you got to look the part too."

"So, you're taking me shopping?"

"We can't give you badges and not have you look the part."

I beamed. "Give me another few minutes in here, and then we'll go."

* * *

I'd never been one for formal outfits. Something about them just seemed so...boring, way too mature. I mostly associated formal clothing with rich people, or big CEOs of big corporations.

I was looking at them in a whole new light now.

Dean had wanted no part in the shopping spree, so he let Sam take the Impala. Of course, he had to lightly threaten me to not do anything, otherwise I wouldn't like the consequences. I knew he wasn't bluffing under the slightly joking tone. I could sense his attachment to the car, something I could never understand.

Shopping for formal attire wasn't as hard as I thought. Color coordinating was the worst part about it. I avoided pantsuits at all cost, usually opting for skirts and dresses if I could pull them off. I couldn't avoid the heels that matched my outfits. Sam didn't seem to mind letting me try on outfits for a while.

In fact, he seemed like he was enjoying himself a little bit as well. Though he probably thought I didn't notice, I did. The signs were subtle: a glimmer of happiness in his eyes, his relaxed posture. It was like we weren't battling monsters and an apocalypse. It was like we were two normal friends enjoying a day out to celebrate me turning one year older.

A few stores and some bags later, Sam and I were loading the Impala with my new attire. As the car roared to life, I bit my lip as I got an interesting idea. I looked at the car's radio, feeling the temptation.

"How pissed do you think Dean would be if I changed the station?" I asked slyly.

"Pissed enough to where he'd leave you at the motel," Sam told me. "It may be your birthday, Dakota, but that doesn't mean he won't seek vengeance on you for it later."

I leaned back in the seat, deciding I'd rather be in the Impala than left behind in a motel room in a state I wasn't familiar with. I rolled down the window, letting the air swirl around.

"You didn't have to do this, you know," I told Sam firmly, watching the scenery blur alongside us.

"One day you'll be out in the field with us. It's better to get you prepared now in case something goes wrong."

"You think something might?" I rolled my head to look at him.

"There's always the chance for it, Kota."

I laughed. "I haven't heard that nickname in a long time." I put my arm out the window. "I kind of missed it. Well, thank you, anyway."

"I figured you'd be a bit upset that I forgot."

"Nah. I almost forgot what day it was." I blushed at the thought. "How stupid, right? Forgetting it's your own birthday. But I'm glad this day was quiet. No running after monsters of any sort. No worries about the apocalypse. Everything went on the backburner."

If only they stayed there, I thought forlornly.

**Since there was a bit of a gap in the story, I decided to do some original chapters. I couldn't resist doing a small one for Dakota's birthday.

And the fact that Sam officially crowned her "Kota" in this chapter just makes my heart sing! I don't know about you all, but, I think my favorite nickname that Dean's given her is "Dak." Who agrees? Who disagrees?

Don't worry, we're rolling back into another episode in the next chapter!**