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Maricela's POV

My eyes shifted towards Sam once the others went their separate ways to begin their tasks.

He nods in the direction of the adjacent area. "I'll show you your room."

Nodding, I move past Kevin to follow, but not without rubbing his shoulder. He gave me the tiniest smile before I walked down the stone steps into the Command Room. My legs carry me toward the war table so I can swipe my duffle bag and throw it over my shoulder. I jog into the corridor to my left to find where Sam had disappeared, only to see him walk further into the bunker. My feet quickly shuffle to catch up, and once I do, I set a pace to match his lengthy strides.

"It's really good to see you, Mari," says Sam. "But are you sure you're ready for the big leagues?"

A short huff escapes my lungs. "Sam, you act like I haven't worked with you guys before. I think I more than proved myself to you, Winchesters, that I can be of value to the team."

"Of course," he agrees but noticeably hesitates. "It's just that... You know we worry about you hunting by yourself. And now, you'll be hunting with us, which is great..."

"But...?" I stop abruptly, planting my feet firmly on the ground as I cross my arms.

Sam turns around, his face falling when he sees my blank yet expecting expression. He frowns to himself before glancing away from me. His hazel eyes scanned the hall, taking in every detail of our surroundings while taking a moment to gather his thoughts. Despite his attempts to avoid it, he struggled to convey his concerns. Finally, he exhales a deep breath before his eyes find mine.

"I'm just worried something will happen to you. The people closest to us always get hurt or end up dead." He admits. "And I don't want that to happen to you."

His concern brings me a smile. "Sammy, you're so sweet to worry about me. But as long as I'm with you boys, I'll be safe."

The youngest Winchester simpers, but it hardly reaches his eyes. I can tell my words don't bring him any sense of comfort. Yet, it's the truth; I wouldn't trust anyone else with my life. We begin to walk down the cold halls again, this time in silence. We stand in front of door number 16 before he pushes it open. Sam holds his hand out, gesturing for me to enter first. I walk in, glancing around the bare room. It wasn't so bad; it came with standard furniture like any other bedroom and more. It, by far, beats any motel room I've ever stayed in.

"Make yourself at home," I place my bag on the bed before turning to Sam, standing before the doorway. "My room is number 21, Dean's is 11, if you ever need anything."

"It's great, Sammy." I motion around the room, smiling happily. "Thank you guys, this means a lot."

He returns my smile, and this time, it feels genuine. "I'm glad you're here."

"Me too."

"Come on, I'll give you a quick tour of the rest of the bunker," He says, but judging by the size of this place, 'quick' was an understatement.

⛥⛥⛥

"Yeah, Irv. Fallen Angels," Dean says into his phone as I stroll into the library. "Well, trust me, they're just monsters with good P. R. So, if you run into one, torch his ass with holy oil."

I settle beside Sam, placing my computer on the table. "What can I help with?"

He assigns me to the 'demon-y' part of the research while he continues with the angel portion. I press the power button, bringing the laptop to life. The familiar hum of the machine fills the room as I eagerly await for the desktop to load. Once everything was up and running, I began to scour through various news articles and sources relating to anything abnormal in the hopes of finding promising leads. A silence fell between our group as we focused on our tasks. Besides the gentle tapping of keyboards and the occasional rustle of papers, the eldest Winchester's smooth voice danced in my ears.