Fallen and Broken

Sam had left for the store to get what Dean had asked for meanwhile Max laid on the couch staring at the ceiling thinking about her dream. It replayed in her mind over and over.

"Max you okay over there?" Bobby asked concerned.
"Hmm? Oh yeah. I just was lost in my thoughts." She said sitting up right.
"Well if it wouldn't be so much to ask, I need you and Dean to go find Sam. A case just came up and I think you're ready to get back on the horse."

Though she highly doubted she was ready to "get back on the horse" but she wanted to at least try.

"Alright." Max said getting up and walking in front of the desk Bobby sat at.
"Dean." Bobby called.
"Yeah." Dean said walking up next to Max.
"I have a friend a, one state over, Olivia Lowrey. Been trying to reach her for three days on this angel thing but it's not like her to ignore this many calls." Bobby paused.
"Olivia Lowrey? She a hunter?"
"Yeah and we're gonna go check on her." Bobby said getting up and walking towards the door.

They all went outside to the garage and began to fill Bobby's and Max's car with supplies. Sam had pulled up and Bobby explained to him what they were going to do. Max went back to house and untied Riley from the post to bring him inside.
"Riley, I'll be back soon, don't make a mess." She petted Riley, then got up, went back outside and got into her car.

They followed behind Bobby down the highway for a good 6 hours. Soon they pulled up to a house in what looked to be a calming neighborhood. Sam picked at the lock of the door since no one had answered. Once it was unlocked Bobby went in first with the rest following in.

"Olivia?"Bobby called out.

Max walked into what seemed to be the living room and saw a woman splayed out on the hardwood floor.

"Bobby." She called.

He came in and saw Olivia, he took a few seconds and then walked out. Dean and Sam joined Max and examined the scene. There had been a salt line on the floor of the doorway. She walked closer to the woman, it looked like her guts had been pulled out of her stomach. Dean looked around and spotted a wall that had hunting weapons hanged. It was obviously a hidden place where this Olivia had kept them.

"Olivia was rockin' the MF meter." Dean said holding up what looked like some kind of radio.
"It's a spirit detector." Sam confirmed.

Bobby came back in with his phone in his hand looking a bit worried.

"Bobby, you okay?" Sam asked.
"I called some hunters near by." Bobby stated.
"Good,maybe they can help us." Max said standing up from the scene.
"Except, they're not picking up either."
"Something's up."
"You think?"Bobby said sarcastically replied.

With that Bobby went back outside and the rest following as well.

"I'm gonna go check on the other hunters." Max said walking past the Impala.
"Well you're not going by yourself." Dean said. She stopped in the middle of the street and turned to face Dean and Sam.

"Yeah, as a matter of fact I'll go with you." Sam said walking up to Max's black 1969 ford boss 429 mustang. Sam liked her car, in fact this was the closest he had been to her car. Max noticed the space between her car and Sam

"Don't breathe on' her!" She warned him.

He lightly laughed, she reminded Sam of Dean. They where like the same person in there own ways and they could obviously be pointed out. They got in the Mustang and went off to the next hunter's house. About 6 pm, Sam and Max arrived at the hunter's house. The porch light automatically turned on as they walked up to the door. Sam noticed that the door was opened ajar. He pushed it opened, making it creek a bit. Max reached for her gun that was tuck in the back of her jeans. Slowly looking through the house.

"Max!" Sam called.

Max walked into the kitchen and looked at Sam, he then noticed the man on the floor. His chest looked like it was ripped out exposing his organs, blood was all over the floor and the man's shot gun right beside him. Max ran a hand threw her hair.

"What hell is going on?" She whispered.
"Com'on Max." Sam said walking out of the kitchen and towards the front door.

Max walked outside, seeing Sam leaning against the mustang. He had his phone up to ear and was talking to someone.

"Yeah, alright we'll meet you back at Bobby's."
"Yeah she's fine, Dean, talking and breathing."

Of course it was Dean. He always had that thing of being over protective, especially with Max. Sam hung up.

"We got to head to Bobby's." He said.
"Though I'm driving." He said holding his hand out for the keys.
"Like hell you are!" Max smacked his hand away.
"Max you look extremely tired and I doubt that either of us wants to end up on the 5 o'clock news tomorrow." Sam finished.

She rolled her eyes.

"Alright, fine. But I swear if you scratch her, I will personally end you." Max handed over the keys and got in on the passenger side. Her muscles loosened as she let her head rest against the seat beneath her. Sighing, she closed her eyes and fell asleep. Sam drove for a good two hours or so, when Max had shifted in her seat something had fallen out of her pocket. Sam looked over, the first time he had glanced at it, but then the second time he realized what it was-a carton of Marlboro cigarettes. Sam picked it up and held it in one hand and steering with the other. He was beginning to feel angry because she had promised Dean and him that she wouldn't dare touch another cigarette. He looked back at Max who was sleeping soundly though not comfortably. Sam sighed, putting the cigarettes on the dashboard. Within 5 minutes they reached a gas station, so Sam decided it was best to fill the tank up. Before he got out he made sure that the cigarettes where safely in his pockets away from Max's reach, then he got out and filled the tank. Before Sam got back in the car he went into the bathroom.

Max shifted once again in her seat so that her body was curled up facing where Sam had been sitting not too long ago.

Not long ago? Sam?

She peered open her eyes. No one was there.

"Sam?" She called.

Sitting up, she realized that she was at a gas station. Max sat up, seeing if maybe Sam was inside the gas station. No he wasn't anywhere in site. She got out and looked around, no one for miles. She then heard a yell come from the bathroom. Quickly Max pulled out her blade from her belt and bolted into the bathroom. Sam was being thrown across the room by a man who she assumed was a demon. Without hesitating she stabbed the demon in the back, instead of flickering a yellowish-orange, it ascended up in ashes and then it was gone. Sam looked at Max shocked a bit. Max held her hand out for Sam. She thought it was funny how Sam and Dean where 6 foot beasts and then there was her, falling in at 5'5. They walked out, Max in front of Sam. Max put the knife back then patted herself for her cigarettes. Expecting them to be in her pocket of her leather jacket but she found nothing.

"Looking for these?"

She quickly turned around to see him holding up the carton.

"Umm, wher-I mean who's are those?" Max said obviously looking suspicious.
"Max I know these are yours."
"What? No it's not like that, I mean I was holding that-for a friend."
"Max, you don't have any friends."
"Well when you put like that-"
"Max I didn't mean it like that. I know these are yours. They fell out of your pocket while you were sleeping, so I suggest you tell me what's going on."

Max leaned against the mustang and ran a hand threw her hair.

"Alright, fine. Lately I've been under so much stress and anxiety. It started back when I was back in the Marines. I only did it for a bit, then I stopped. Then when Hudson died-I tried so hard not to even look at cigarettes. But now with Dean and me back here. .I just need something to relieve that pressure building up." Max finished crossing her arms.
"Max,you should have told me."
"I was but I didn't want to worry you. I mean you and Bobby have enough to worry about. And Dean-" Max paused and thought about how Dean would react to this.
"Please don't tell him. You know how he gets with these kind of things."
"Okay, but you have to promise that your done for good and that you at least have to tell Dean sooner or later."

She crossed her fingers behind her back.

"I promise."

With that they both got back into the car and drove to Bobby's. Little did Sam know Max had another pack hidden in her ankle boot. Though she was certain that as soon as things got back to normal and by normal she meant once she figured out what going on with her, she'd then tell Dean.

Sam's phone began to ring.

"Yeah Dean?"He answered.
"What? Dean what's going on?"

Max could see something was up.

"Okay we're on our way."

Sam hung up and put more pressure on the gas pedal.

"What's going on?" Max asked.
"Dean and Bobby, they have some sort of ghost thing going on."

Soon they pulled up in front of Bobby's house and grabbed a couple weapons from the trunk.Max saw Riley outside and motioned him to be quiet. Sam and Max got inside to find no one.

"Dean? Bobby?"

Max went into the library where Bobby was always to be found. She saw a couple of books spread out on the floor and a fireplace rod as well on the ground. She snapped her fingers to get Sam's attention.

"I'll go check up stairs, you go check outside."

Sam nodded and walked out the front door. She slowly and quietly made her way upstairs to the hallway.

"Dean?"

As if on queue she saw him being flung against a wall. She was about to make her way towards Dean but then she was tackled down by a woman. The woman punched Max a few times but she regain control by gripping her wrists and flipping her so that she was on top of the woman. Max took this chance to punch her back but she felt Dean's tight grip pull her off of the woman. She fixed herself and ran a hand threw her hair. The woman was now standing up, her clothes looked dirty and torn.

"Max.The little vulnerable sister bitch." She said.

Max was about to take another swing at her but Dean extended his arm out stopping her from stepping any closer.

"I see you still have quite the temper." She said.

Max clenched her jaw,she knew who exactly it was.

"Meg."
"Took you long enough."

With that she flicked her hand at Max, pinning her against the wall. Dean stood there not knowing what to do.

"Meg let her go."Dean pleaded.

She stepped up Dean and threw a punch at him knocking him to the floor.

"I had a little sister once. She worshiped me, you know how little siblings are right? How they'll do anything for you." Meg looked up at Max who was struggling to free herself.
"She was never the same once I disappeared. She just got lost." Meg looked back at Dean.
"And when my body was lying in morgue, beat up, broken, do you know what they did to her? She killed herself!" Meg kicked Dean in the gut. "Because of you Dean!" She yelled. "Because all you were thinking about was your family, your revenge and your demons. Fifty words of Latin and a little sooner and I'd still be alive. My baby sister would still be alive." She paused. "That blood was on your hands Dean!"
"You're right."Dean said before he was kicked again in the same place again.

Dean crawled towards Max as Meg followed him. Dean rolled onto his back and held his gun up at Meg.

"Go ahead.Shoot me." She said leaning against the wall.
"You can get rid of me with bullets."
"I'm not shooting you." Dean said then pointing the gun up at the ancient chandelier and shot it, falling perfectly on top of Meg .She was gone and Max collapsed to floor. She groaned and pushed herself up against the wall. Soon they made there way down to the library were Sam and Bobby were. Dean took a seat on the couch and Max leaned against the doorway.

"So these spirits, there all people we know?" Sam asked.
"Not just know, people we couldn't save." Dean said reclining back.
"I saw something on Meg, did she have a tattoo when she was alive?" Dean asked.
"Ah no I don't think so." Sam answered.
"Cause she had a mark and her hand almost like a brand." Dean added.
"I saw a mark too on Henricksen." Sam added.
"What did it look?"Bobby asked.
"Uhh, paper?" Bobby handed Sam a notebook. He began to draw and then he showed it to Bobby.
"I might have seen this before."

Bobby took the notebook and walked over to the book shelf. Then there was a loud thud that came from upstairs.

"We got to move. "Bobby said handing Sam a couple of books.

They followed Bobby downstairs. He stopped in front of a rusty metal door and opened it revealing a dark room. Max first stepped in turned on the lights, it was a cellar, a demon trap covered the floor, hunting weapons against the wall, a desk against one of the walls, and a bed right next to table.

Bobby locked the door behind them.

"Bobby is this-"
"Solid iron, covered in salt, 100% ghost proof." Bobby finished Sam sentence.
"You built a panic room?" Max questioned.
"What? I had a free weekend." Bobby shrugged.

Max laughed and when she turned around she came face with a poster of a woman in a bathing suit. She turned back around and raised an eyebrow at Bobby. Soon Bobby and Max researched on the symbol and Dean and Sam fixed bullets for when they went back up to take care of the ghosts. Max couldn't help but to keep directing her attention over to Dean. He looked annoyed and upset.

"Dean you okay?" Max asked setting the book down on her lap.

He stopped what he was doing and looked like he was thinking on how to start out his sentence.Then he continued with the bullet in his hands.

"See this is why I can't get behind God." He started. "If he doesn't exists, fine. Bad crap happens to good people. That's how it is. And no primer reason, just random, horrible, evil, okay I get it. I can roll with that. But if he is out there-" Dean paused. "What's wrong with him? Where the hell is he when all these innocent people are getting torn to shreds? How does he live with himself? Why doesn't he help?" He finished looking over at Max gave him an honest shrug.
"You're asking the wrong person."
"Found it."Bobby said.
"The symbol you saw the brand of the ghost, mark of the witness." Bobby said.
"Witness to what?" Max asked getting up.
"Witness to the unnatural. None of them died of what you call "deaths". See these ghost where forced to rise. And woke up in agony, the're like rabbit dogs. It ain't their fault. Someone rose them, on purpose." Bobby exclaimed.
"Who?"Sam asked.
"Do I look like I know?"Bobby sassed back to Sam making Max smile.
"But whoever it was, used a spell so powerful it left a mark. A brand on there soul. Whoever did this had big plans. It's called the rising of the witness. It figures into an ancient prophecy."
"Wait what book is that from?" Max asked.
"Well the widely distributed visions for tourists but long story short, Revelations." Bobby said.
"This is a sign."Bobby said.
"A sign of what?" All three of them said at the same time. Bobby leaned back in the chair and sighed.
"The Apocalypse." Bobby said. No one said a word, letting what Bobby said sink in.

"So then what? Do we just sit this one out?" Max didn't even know what to ask, Bobby just simply shrugged.
"Pft. Road trip. Yeah, Grand Canyons, Star Trek experience-" Dean listed the things he wanted to do. "Bunny Ranch." Dean clapped his hands together. "Okay, yes, yes, yes, and that last one,I don't think so." Max said crossing her arms over her chest.

"First things first. How about we survive our friends out there." Bobby said.
"Great ,any ideas other than staying in this room until judgment day?" Dean sarcastically asked.
"It's a spell. To send the witnesses back to rest. Should work." Bobby said.
"Should?" Sam asked.
"If I translated it correctly, I think I got everything we need." Bobby said getting up.
"Any chance you got everything we need in this room?" Dean asked.
"So you think our luck was gonna start this easily?" Dean rolled his eyes at Bobby.
"Spell has to cast over an open fire." Max read from the notes Bobby had taken.
"The fire place in the library."Sam said.
"This is not as appealing as a ghost-proof-panic-room, huh?" Dean looked at Sam who just rolled his eyes back at him.

Max, Dean, Sam,and Bobby grabbed all the things that they would need and headed upstairs careful of any ghost that appeared. When they reached the stairs, a man was sitting at the top with his head bowed.The man lifted his head.

"Hey Dean."He smiled. "You remember me?"
"Ron, with the uhh, lazer-eyes?" Dean replied.

It seemed that when he said that it had upset him.

"Yeah I wish I could say it's good to see ya."Dean said.
"I'm dead because of you. You where supposed to help me!"

Then Bobby fired a round at him before he could say anything else. Dean looked at Bobby a bit annoyed.

"If you're gonna shoot, shoot. Don't talk."

They went upstairs, Sam made a salt circle while Dean lit up the fire place. Bobby prepared what he needed for the ritual he was about to recite and Max looked out for anything that dared to cross paths.

If these people or spirits are people that we couldn't help or save, than I have a feeling Hudson might show up. Max thought.

Two young girls appeared right next to the salt.

"Bobby." One of them said. Max shot at them, they were gone but you could hear their faint giggles.
"Kitchen, cutlery draw, it's got a false bottom. Hymn lock, Opium, wormwood." He ordered Max.
Before she took another step she looked back at Bobby.

"Opium?" She asked surprised. "Go!" Bobby said flicking her away with his wrist.

A man had appeared right when she crouched down to the drawer. She looked up and of course it was Hudson. She quickly stood back up.

"Hud."She whispered.
"Winchester, huh?" He crossed his arms.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I just wanted to-"
"No Max, you're not sorry. You lied to me and that day I was trapped in the car, I was calling for you. I knew you could hear me, I saw you right there." Hudson said walking closer to her.

Max stepped back until her back touched the wall.

"Hudson, I tried but I couldn't get any closer. If the car hadn't gone up in flames I wouldn't have hesitated. I would have pulled you out myse-." Max gasped and cried out agony.

Hudson had shoved his hand into Max's stomach.

"Hudson,I-I'm sor-ry." She croaked out.

A shot was fired and she fell to her knees. Hudson was gone. Sam helped her up.

"You okay?"He asked. She nodded and Sam helped with the things Bobby wanted then limped back into the library. She placed the bowl down on the table and Bobby mixed them together. Ron showed back up and Max fired at him. Bobby began reciting the spell when the windows of the house flew open blowing everything. The salt lines were blown away. Spirits showed up including Hudson but shot at them with no hesitation. Though when Dean was reloading his gun, Henricksen knocked the gun out of his hands. Dean then reached for the gun on the table but it was jammed. Max then fired at Henricksen. She reloaded the gun but before she could put the bullets in Hudson pushed a desk trapping her against the wall.

"Max!" Dean called out.
"Cover Booby!" She yelled back. She looked down to see if she could somehow push it back but when she looked back Hudson was right next to the desk pushing it harder. She knew this wasn't Hudson at all, at least not the Hudson she knew.

"Ahh!" Bobby cried out. Meg had gotten behind Bobby and stuck her hand in his back. Bobby then lost hold of the bowl but before it could hit the ground Dean caught it.
"Throw it in the fireplace!"Bobby yelled.

Dean threw it in and instantly the spirits disappeared. Max felt the pressure from the desk release and Bobby fell to his knees.

"Bobby!" Dean went over to him.

Sam pushed the desk away from her, thinking she could stand, she fell towards him. He caught her and slowly eased her down on the floor.

"Not so bad for your first day back." Sam smiled at Max.
"Shut up." She said playfully punching his knee.
"Bobby you okay?" Max asked rolling over on her stomach. He nodded in response. She rested her head on her arm looking over at what was once a salt line.
"Maybe next time we should use glue for the salt."She mumbled into her sleeve.

Once Max regained strength she got up and walked out to the porch to find Riley pacing back and forth in front of the door. His tail wagged uncontrollably when he saw Max and nudged his face against her legs.

"I'm alright Riley." She said petting him on the head. She noticed that his bowl was empty.
"Oh I'm so sorry." She picked up his bowl and filled it up the placed it back down.
"Hello Maxwell."A familiar voice said from behind her.

She slowly turned around to see Castiel.

"Castiel. How nice." Max faked a smile.
"What exactly are you?" He asked. She raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean what am I?"
"I mean you're not human. So then what are you?" Castiel took a step toward Max.
"I don't know what your talking about." Max said crossing her arms, fully knowing what he meant.
"When I was trying to communicate with Dean I was only directing it towards him. But you could hear me, correct?" Castiel asked.
"You mean that high pitched ringing noise, then yes I heard you. Loud and clear."
"How?"
"I've said it once and I'll say it again, I. Don't. Know."
"You have markings too, ones that just randomly appeared on you, ones that no one can visibly see but you. What are you?" This time he demanded in a more bolder voice.
"I wish I could fucking tell you. Castiel I know nothing more than you do. So if you ask me again I'm going to punch you back to where you came from."

She realized how close she had walked up to him so she stepped back a bit. Both stood there a moment.

"Take off your shirt." He demanded.
"Excuse me?"

Castiel then turned her around and pulled her close to him, grabbing the bottom of her shirt a tugging it off her body. Max pushed away from Castiel, stunned that an "angel" would do such thing. He then grabbed her arm and looked at the markings he was talking about. Max followed to where his eyes stared and they were right where the strange tattooed marks were.

"You can see them."
"Yes and I think I have seen these before."He said examining the rest of her arm.
"What do they mean?"
"I'm not sure but they are tribal. This one stands for some kind of animal." He let got of her arm and then saw another one on her side. It was an a arrow and then saw one more on her wrist.This one was an upside down triangle with a bold line going threw it.

"I know what this one means, it means Earth." He pointed out. He let go of her arm and saw that she was just left with pink pastel bra on.

"Take a picture it'll last longer. Now can I have my shirt back." She point to it.

"I'm sorry." He said handing back the shirt to her. She turned around to put it back on, then she heard some sort flutter behind her. Max looked back and Castiel was gone. Max was left confused, what did this mean? Should she even tell Dean, Sam,or Bobby? She sighed and looked a Riley who hadn't growled at Castiel once.

"Night Riley." She walked back inside to see Sam on the couch snoring and Dean knocked out on the floor. She smiled and pulled a blanket over Dean and another one over Sam. She stepped over Dean's body and walked upstairs to her room. She laid down on the bed and ran her fingers over the the triangle tattoo. Soon she fell asleep with the thought that something was going to change but it wasn't going to be good.