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geekclubroc · 3 years

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AMD, Microsoft, and Google’s financial reports are coming. What important signals are revealed in the agency’s ratings?

AMD, MSFT, and GOOG financial reports hit

Earnings Preview

Wall Street estimates AMD’s earnings per share will be 54 cents and revenue will be $3.62 billion. In comparison, earnings per share in the same period last year were 18 cents and revenue was $1.93 billion.

Aspect

Although 11 of the past 15 earnings reports have exceeded expectations in revenue and profits, AMD’s stock has not benefited from the company’s strong top and bottom line data. The investor and analyst community seem to take AMD’s growth story for granted. But will it be different this time? Bank of America analyst Vivek Arya listed AMD as the top three semiconductor company for long-term cloud-driven growth. He pointed out that the company has the ability to be “excellent in a slowing growth environment in large markets such as personal computers, automobiles, and automobiles.” AMD’s gross profit margin is also a key factor in its success and increase in cash flow. Assuming AMD’s gross profit margin continues to rise, relative to its growth opportunities, the stock appears to be severely undervalued. Considering that the company has consistently exceeded expectations and is ready to do so again, it would be a mistake to give up AMD stock.

The following are some of the latest institutional ratings compiled by the US Stock Research Agency

Citi analyst Christopher Danely raised AMD (AMD) from sell to neutral, with a target price of US$95, higher than US$17. Analysts’ channel surveys indicate that AMD’s share growth in the server market is “eventually accelerating,” especially in hyper-scale companies such as Amazon Web Services and Google. He expects this momentum to continue, and said that Intel’s (INTC) gross profit margin may drop to the 1940s, similar to the last AMD product cycle. Danely raised his estimate of AMD and recommended a paired transaction for increasing AMD holdings and reducing Intel holdings.

Bank of America analyst Vivek Arya pointed out that year-to-date, the PHLX Semiconductor Industry Index (SOX) has outperformed the S&P 500 at the midpoint of the year. In this case, five US semiconductor stocks that lag behind the SOX index are highlighted. He believes that “capture-based on the potential for improved prospects in the second half of 2021 and 2022”. AMD (AMD) is down 2% year-to-date compared to Intel (INTC), ARM is worried that Arya thinks it is “exaggerated”; Broadcom (AVGO) is lagging in terms of growth sustainability and software mergers and acquisitions; Teradyne (TER) is lagging behind Apple (AAPL) 5G digestion, the digestion “has been fully reflected”; due to concerns about cyclical growth, Analog Devices (ADI) has lagged; Arya told investors that Qorvo (QRVO) has fallen behind the volatility of smartphones. Arya has a buy rating on all five nominated “catch-up” candidates.

Piper Sandler analyst Harsh Kumar is confident in AMD’s growth momentum and competitive positioning. He continues to be optimistic about the company’s server and PC/laptop business, “in both areas there are AMD’s unique advantages.” Kumar told investors in a research report that although the stock has underperformed the semiconductor index by 18% so far this year, “we think the party is not even over, and it is a buyer at the current level.” He reiterated his increase in AMD. Hold the rating, with a target price of US$110.

Benchmark analyst Cody Acree assumes that AMD (AMD) coverage is a buy rating and a target price of $100. Acree told investors that Dr. Lisa Su and other members of the AMD management team developed a basic processor architecture that “has proven to be very competitive in the past few years and is generally superior to Intel (INTC)”. Acree added that Intel “has not managed the pace of its cutting-edge manufacturing technology” and “Intel is a bit handcuffed”, AMD has been able to take advantage of and gain extensive market share in the past few years.

Microsoft (MSFT)

Report after market close on Tuesday, July 27

Earnings Preview

Wall Street expects Microsoft’s earnings per share to be $1.90 and revenues of $44.1 billion. In comparison, earnings per share in the same period last year were $1.46 and revenue was $38.03 billion.

Aspect

The trend of continuous work and study at home has promoted an increase in the demand for Microsoft services, especially in the field of smart cloud, which is expected to remain high. The strong outlook has brought a lot of bullish momentum to the stock, which has gained nearly 27% in the past six months. The company’s strong execution record is another reason for the increased confidence. Microsoft has surpassed its profit forecast for twelve quarters, and only one revenue forecast. Therefore, Wall Street remains generally optimistic about the company’s prospects for double-digit revenue growth in fiscal 2021, especially considering the strong growth rate of its Azure cloud platform, which is expected to surpass Amazon’s AWS in 2021. This raises the question, is all this good news priced? To maintain its gains, Microsoft must provide strong business unit performance on Tuesday and provide better-than-expected guidance.

As a fast-growing cloud platform, Azure will become the focus of investors’ attention, and product categories will become the largest revenue contributor; Azure revenue has soared by 50% in FQ3; analysts also believe that Teams has now joined other platforms for online learning and Work, this quarter may get higher motivation.

The following are some of the latest institutional ratings compiled by the US Stock Research Agency

Jefferies analyst Brent Thill raised Microsoft’s target stock price to $335, while maintaining a buy rating on the stock before the quarterly results are announced. Analysts believe that Microsoft’s performance so far this year is significantly better than the broader market. The software index rose by 30% and the software index rose by 15%, setting a higher threshold for stocks printed in the fourth quarter. Overall, Thill believes that the expectations for the fourth quarter are achievable, thanks to Microsoft’s diversified product portfolio, including Azure and Teams, which boosted sales.

Barclays analyst Raimo Lenschow raised the company’s target price for Microsoft from US$288 to US$325 and maintained an overweight rating on the stock. Analysts expect US Software’s second-quarter financial reporting season to be “positive”, saying that terminal demand continues to improve, and inspections show that pipeline visibility is improving in the second half of the year. Lenschow told investors in a research report that this will enable the management team to provide more optimistic comments on the guidance for the second half of the year and help drive the current “restoration to growth” momentum.

Bank of America analyst Brad Sills earlier raised the company’s target price for Microsoft from US$305 to US$325 and reiterated his buy rating on the stock. Analysts believe that the advantages of Azure and Office 365 are 2%-3% upside compared to the estimated revenue of $44.1B in the fourth quarter. Sills predicts that as workloads continue to migrate, Azure may continue to grow by 50%.

Cowen analyst J. Derrick Wood raised the company’s target price for Microsoft from US$295 to US$310, and maintained an outperform rating on the stock. The analyst believes that after his bullish survey and 3rd party data show that the growth of the IaaS market has accelerated, it may accelerate again.

KeyBanc analyst Michael Turits raised the company’s target price for Microsoft from US$305 to US$330 and maintained an overweight rating on the stock. The analyst cited the “strong” second-quarter security inspection and VAR/CIO survey results, indicating that Microsoft’s growing strategic importance, increased budget, strength as a security integrator, and CIO survey as a major public cloud provider Leading. Turitz believes that Microsoft’s 2021 revenue growth of more than 175 US dollars DD, free cash flow profit margin of more than 30%, which guarantees a premium of 25.3 times the forward free cash flow multiple of the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index.

Citi analyst Tyler Radke raised the company’s target price for Microsoft from $310 to $378 and maintained a buy rating on the stock. The analyst raised his expectations and maintained a positive view of Microsoft’s fourth-quarter earnings report. He predicts that due to the recovery of IT budgets, the expected increase in dealer growth, signs of re-accelerating consumption patterns, and a slight increase in the number of PCs compared to three months ago, he expects Microsoft’s fiscal year to have a “strong end” “. Radek told investors in a research report that “compared to the conservative guidance of simple comparison, the overall number setting looks attractive.”

Stifel analyst Brad Reback raised the company’s target price for Microsoft from US$285 to US$305, and maintained a buy rating on the stock before the company announced its fourth-quarter earnings on Tuesday, July 27. Given the continued strength of the company’s commercial business line, especially Office 365 Reback told investors that he expects Microsoft to “substantially exceed Wall Street’s expectations.” Reback added that he also believes that although it is more challenging, Microsoft is still expected to achieve a 10% lower revenue growth in FY22 and maintain its current gross profit margin, while providing an upside for current street-free cash flow estimates. space.

Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL)

Report after market close on Tuesday, July 27

Earnings Preview

Wall Street expects Alphabet’s earnings per share to be 19.21 U.S. dollars and revenue of 56.02 billion U.S. dollars. In comparison, earnings per share in the same period last year were 10.13 U.S. dollars and revenue was 38.3 billion U.S. dollars.

Aspect

The share price of Alphabet, Google’s parent company, has risen 36% in six months and 47% year-to-date, while the S&P 500 has risen 16% and has outperformed its FAANG peers in the past six months. These gains are driven by the cyclical recovery of the tech giant’s advertising business. This was obvious last quarter, when the company’s revenue in the first quarter increased by 34%, which is impressive. The market appears to have repriced the stock in response to the company’s growth recovery. However, while increasing multiples seems reasonable, stocks are no longer cheap. In other words, Google’s recent upward trend in several online advertising verticals, especially in areas such as retail, financial services, and travel, is still a compelling reason to bet on higher prices. Not to mention the revenue the company has made in its cloud business.

Investors also need to pay attention: Google has faced the fourth federal and state lawsuits in the past year; cloud revenues may grow strongly during the pandemic as the use of online and cloud services accelerates; Thomas Kurian’s comments on expanding Google Cloud business Latest progress; revenue has more than doubled, and it is growing faster than the parent company.

The following are some of the latest institutional ratings compiled by the US Stock Research Agency

Jefferies analyst Brent Thill raised the company’s target price for Alphabet (GOOGL) from US$2,850 to US$2,950, and maintained a buy rating on the stock before the digital advertising group’s earnings season. Thill told investors that he expects revenue to exceed “full-scale”, but since his digital advertising peers have grown 27% so far this year, he prefers selectiveness and will own Facebook (FB) and Alphabet.

Credit Suisse analyst Stephen Ju raised the company’s target price for Alphabet from US$2,755 to US$3,350 and maintained his outperform rating on the stock. Given Google’s global footprint, Zhu told investors in a research report that almost all advertising industries are expected to exceed the company’s expectations for the second quarter of 2021.

Tigress Financial analyst Ivan Feinseth reiterated his strong buy rating on Alphabet and set a 12-month target price of US$3,185, which means a potential return of more than 30% compared to the current level. Feinseth told investors in a research report that the accelerated growth of online advertising and spending, as well as cloud growth and profit margin growth, will continue to drive stock prices to rise further. The analyst said that Alphabet continues to benefit from the continued long-term shift to digital advertising and online spending.

The article does not have investment advice, please make your own judgment.

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daresplaining · 7 years

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I would love to read a post about some Matt\DD interactions with Vanessa Fisk on the comics. :)

Ooh, yes!

Matt and Vanessa have a really interesting dynamic, which spans a huge amount of character development for both of them. Vanessa has almost always been characterized by a sense of innocence– both her surprising possession of it and her eventual loss of it. She was originally a kind, law-abiding person who existed in contrast to her husband’s violence and scheming. Fisk’s devotion to her is written as a tiny testament to his humanity, and her love for him as proof that there is something there to love. This concept– of Vanessa’s role as a good person surrounded and always threatened by corruption– extends into her scant interactions with Matt.

Matt actually meets Vanessa before he meets her husband, back in Daredevil vol. 1 #170. (The Kingpin was primarily a Spider-Man villain before Frank Miller pulled him into the DD franchise, and he and Matt had somehow managed to avoid each other before this.) At this point, Fisk and Vanessa have been living in Japan, where Fisk has “reformed” (as much as such a thing is possible for him), abandoning his supervillaining for the sake of trying to have a peaceful life with Vanessa. Eventually, he agrees to hand all of his information on his old allies in the criminal underworld over to the FBI in exchange for having his own record cleared. However, when the old allies in question find out about this, they go after Fisk, drawing him back to New York. Frightened for her husband, Vanessa approaches the hottest legal team in town to ask for help.

Vanessa: “…And so, my husband requires the finest legal representation available. We are prepared to pay you two hundred thousand dollars.”

Foggy: “Two hundred thousand dollars… Wha– what do you say, Matt?”

Matt: “This explains why the crimelords want the Kingpin killed. The evidence in those files could put them out of business. I’ve been aching to sink my teeth into a case like this. […] Ma’am, I think we can… Look out!”

[Daredevil vol. 1 #170 by Frank Miller, Klaus Janson, and Glynis Wein]

Matt saves Vanessa’s life, but in the resulting chaos, she is kidnapped. Feeling responsible, Matt is pulled deeper into the conflict between Fisk and the other mob bosses– leading to his first encounter with the Kingpin himself and the beginning of their legendary antagonistic relationship. But despite this animosity, Matt retains a soft spot for Vanessa, seeing her as an innocent victim who was dragged into Fisk’s violent world against her will. Her kidnapping leads to her apparent death in an explosion orchestrated by one of Fisk’s henchmen. But when Ben Urich discovers her not long afterward, mentally shattered and living in the sewers, and he and Matt go in to save her.

Matt: “For years, his love for Vanessa was all that held the Kingpin back. But then that building collapsed around her–”

Ben: “–And he’s been upping the crime rate ever since. […] You think if we find her the Kingpin will go straight?”

Matt: “No. But that really doesn’t matter. She was the innocent victim of a deadly power struggle. I have to find her.”

[Daredevil vol. 1 #180 by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson]

There’s also a strategic element that comes into Matt and Vanessa’s early relationship. He is genuinely concerned for her wellbeing, but she is also conveniently placed as a weapon to be wielded against the Kingpin. Having found her and brought her out of the sewers, he then uses his knowledge of her whereabouts to blackmail Fisk. Later, when she is slowly being nursed back to physical and emotional health, Matt helps to get her out of the country and away from her husband– not only for her own good, but also for what this loss will do to him.

Matt: “…There they are, now. It’s almost take off time… Mondat was waiting for me on level sixty-two, with Vanessa. We left without encountering a soul. Mondat’s wallet holds a blank check on a bottomless bank account to pay for Vanessa’s treatment. Another account, and a new identity, await her in Europe. The Kingpin will never see his wife again.”

[Daredevil: Love and War by Frank Miller and Bill Sienkiewicz]

Fisk actually calls Matt on stooping to this type of manipulation– which is hilarious, coming from him, but still a valid point. (We also just love this interaction, so we had to include it.)

Matt: “Kingpin, you make me sick. Using a man’s most cherished dream against him… the only thing I’ve ever seen that’s ever made him happy…”

Fisk: “Indeed? And when you found my wife, Vanessa, alive… and used her to blackmail me into doing your bidding… how was that different?”

Matt: 8^(

[Daredevil vol. 1 #192 by Alan Brennert and Klaus Janson]

It’s a long time before Matt and Vanessa encounter each other on-panel again, and by then, a lot has changed. Matt and Fisk take turns tearing each other down over and over again, and Fisk (and thus Vanessa) eventually learns Matt’s secret identity. Early in Volume 2, Fisk’s son Richard becomes involved in a failed assassination plot that leaves the Kingpin injured but alive. Furious about her son’s part in this, Vanessa secrets Fisk out of the country, orders the deaths of most of the collaborators in the plot, and shoots Richard herself. Then, having– as it were– cleaned up the situation and severed the family’s ties to the city, she leaves. She invites Matt to join her for her last meal in Fisk Towers.

Matt: “Vanessa… What is that?”

Vanessa: “That is the name of the man who sold you out to the press. He is one of the FBI agents that Sammy Silke went crying to. Consider it a going away present.”

Matt: “Am I going somewhere, Vanessa?”

Vanessa: “No, I am. This city makes me physically ill. I am leaving it and I shall never return. This is the final meal to be eaten in Fisk Towers and I appreciate you honoring my request that we have it together.”

[Daredevil vol. 2 #36 by Brian Michael Bendis, Alex Maleev, and Matt Hollingsworth]

Matt strongly suspects Vanessa’s involvement in her son’s death, and his interest in this extreme change in her is likely part of his motivation for accepting her invitation. For Vanessa’s part, Matt is the final connection to the city that needs to be tidied away. She solves all of his current life crises that she has the power to solve, which includes overturning a hit that was placed on him by someone in Fisk’s organization, and giving him the name of the person who recently sold his secret identity to the press. Her motivations in this scene are difficult to read, but all evidence suggests that she just wants out, and thus wants to do Matt the courtesy of formally saying goodbye on behalf of both herself and her husband. They’ve known each other a long time, after all.

This changes. Vanessa moves overseas, but her new brutal tendencies blossom into a fury about her situation that is partially directed at Matt. She comes down with a terminal illness, which she attributes to her decision to kill her own child– which, in turn, she blames on the violent forces in her life. She devotes her last months to turning Matt’s world upside down– hiring Danny Rand under false pretenses to run around as Daredevil while Matt is in jail, engineering Foggy’s “death”, and placing obstacles in his path designed to drive him deeper and deeper into despair. In this way, she hopes to do to his life what he and his vendettas have done to hers. Having emotionally beaten him down to a degree she deems satisfactory, she then engineers a final encounter with him– a chance for her to explain her motivations and cement her victory.

Vanessa: “Then I realized it wasn’t my fault at all… it was yours. And Wilson’s. […] See, I had saved Wilson. We had escaped the cycle of violence that was his life, and I had saved him. And then we went back to New York, and nothing was ever the same. I should have known. I should have stopped his trip… but that’s not how you love someone. So everything went wrong, and then it was too late. He and you were locked in a new cycle of pointlessness… always at each other’s throats… I swear, I think you liked it.”

Matt: “Then you don’t know me at all.”

Vanessa: “No. I know you better than you know yourself… I’ve been playing chess with you, after all.”

[Daredevil vol. 2 #92 by Ed Brubaker, Michael Lark, and Matt Hollingsworth]

Vanessa’s final checkmate move is to offer to reverse Matt’s fortunes if he will release Fisk from jail. In this way, she hopes to ensure her revenge through allowing Matt and Fisk to continue their cycle of violence and mutual destruction. Sickened, Matt refuses– but then changes his mind when Vanessa fixes his life anyway. He is horrified by what she has become, and furious about everything she has done to him and his loved ones, but he can’t actually hate her. He still sees her as a good person– a victim of her circumstances.

Matt: “I’m sorry, Vanessa… Sorry that your soul has turned this black. But you know what? In all your words, the only thing I hear is– Wilson won. Whatever sick game the two of you started playing, you may be better at it than him… but you aren’t you anymore.”

[Daredevil vol. 2 #92 by Ed Brubaker, Michael Lark, and Matt Hollingsworth]

In memory of the kind, moral person she once was, Matt obeys her last wish and offers Fisk his legal services. But he waits until after she dies to do so, and ensures that Fisk feels as terrible as possible about the effect he had on her life.

Matt: “I’m here to honor a debt… I’m here because there was a good person that you and I destroyed. […] I was there, Wilson. I felt her disease eating away at her. I heard the hatred that had twisted her soul. That’s our debt. Yours and mine. […] Some part of you needs to destroy everything you touch… but she did make you happy. Do you remember that? Do you remember your life in Japan, and how much you loved her? When just looking at her made your heart break a little? Made you think there was actually some decency in this world.. or even in yourself? She wanted to die knowing you and I would be trying to kill each other for the rest of our lives… but that wasn’t really Vanessa. So this is what we’re going to do… I am going to get you a deal. I am going to get your charges dropped. I am going to get you the freedom that you so richly don’t deserve… and in exchange, you are finally going to honor the woman you love.”

[Daredevil vol. 2 #93 by Ed Brubaker, Michael Lark, and Matt Hollingsworth]

It’s probably not the way Matt would have chosen to honor her memory… but it’s the only option he has.

#Daredevil #Matt Murdock #Vanessa Fisk #Asks #Commentary

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daughters-and-winsisters · 7 years

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Huntress- Part 12: Ramiel

Sam x Daughter!Reader, takes place in S12 E12 so warning: SPOILERS

Part one Part two Part three Part four Part five Part Six Part Seven Part Eight Part Nine Part Ten Part Eleven

Lying awake in a motel, you breathed in and out. Sat upright and facing the window, where a few muffled shouts of drunk people occasionally sounded. You sighed, glancing at your Uncle and Dad who were both fast asleep. Dad wasn’t overly keen on the idea of you tagging along to hunt a demon, especially since that night... But you insisted on him at least taking you. He gave in, most likely not wanting to fight over it rather than agreeing with you. You hadn’t thought about Max for a few days. You still missed her. Of course you did. Seeing your Dad and Uncle together, as siblings, it reminded you of her. Especially with their Mum back.

You were staring absentmindedly at nothing in particular when your phone buzzed on the bedside table. Swiping it away before it woke anyone up you looked at the caller ID and sighed. He was calling you again, the last voice mail was supposed to be the final one. He told you he’d leave you alone. He told you- ‘1 new voice mail’ You read the words on the screen, again for safe measure. Your finger hovered over ‘play’ as you reached for your headphones. Only, something made you stop. Realisation perhaps,you were a curious person, but this wasn’t right. It’s not lying if you don’t listen to the messages.

‘message deleted’

When your Dad and Uncle finally woke up you were fully dressed, reading through some articles on your phone. Dad’s eyes landed on you, then fell to the barely creased duvet and he sighed, perching on the edge of the bed next to you. “Couldn’t sleep, huh?” He asked softly, not giving you room to escape the question. You shook your head, not looking at him. “You’re gonna need energy if you want to help on this hunt.” He subtly lectured you. “I know...” “Y.N, I know it’s hard. But you’re going to have to focus for me, focus on the hunt and nothing else...Just, try not to get too worked up, love.” He gave you a quick side hug, holding you close to him and pressing a kiss to the top of your head. When he stood up, he held his hand on your shoulder for a second before going to the bathroom.

“Hey, Kiddo.” Uncle Dean sat down next to you this time. You felt stupid, like you needed some kind of constant reassurance. “You okay?” He asked, nudging you with his elbow lightly. “Yeah, I’m okay.” You nodded, smiling lightly. “As crazy as this sounds, Sammy’s died before. I know what it feels like to be without your sibling. I know how tough it is.” “But he came back.” You fiddled with your thumbs. “Yeah he did...But it’s the same pain you’re going through.” “Not if they didn’t come back it isn’t.” You chuckle bitterly, not sure whether to laugh or to cry. ”Your Dad; struggling as much as you are, Y/N. He’s lost one of his Daughters. I’ve lost one of my Nieces. Yeah, we didn’t meet her, but she was still our family....I’m sorry, kid...” At that moment your Dad wandered back into the room, Uncle Dean looked up before saying “Come on, let’s meet this Hunter. That should take your mind off things.”

“I’m not mourning her.”You said, putting your phone in your pocket and rising from the bed to gab your jacket. “I’m just...so much has changed for me. When too much happens and I get overwhelmed my go-to is...was...my sister. I’m not mourning. I’m just trying to cope.”

Your Dad nodded seriously, doing his best to understand your situation. “You’ve been through a hell of a lot, kid. You are coping.” He ruffled your hair when you walked past, making you crack a smile. “See?” He noted your smile “You’ve just gotta keep doing that.”

“Mandy?” Uncle Dean read the Waitresses name-tag “That short for Amanda?” “Obviously.” You mumbled, realising she’d said it at the same time and sharing a smile with her. “Can I get you anything?” She asked, smiling at you. “Just a tea, thanks.” You smiled, ignoring Uncle Dean’s offended stares. “Hey uh, what’s the wifi password?” Your Dad looked up from his tablet. “Extra cheese.” “No thanks I’ll just have normal.” Uncle Dean butted in, not understanding. “No..that’s the wifi password.” “Oh...” “And anything for you, handsome?” You almost laughed out-loud when she flirted her way through to Cas, noting down his meal as slowly as possible while she thought of something to say.

When she walked away you chuckled, eyeing Cas’ confused face. He shot you a frown, but you didn’t say anything as you continued to smile. You got your phone out, typing “extra cheese” before...one bar??? You scoffed at the awful wifi,putting your phone away. You wouldn’t get far with that.

“The internet here sucks, but I’ve found some things that might help us with the case. So-” Your Dad began, only to be cut off by Uncle Dean. “Yeah no one cares. Okay Cas, you’ve gotta get in there. This good be some really good practice for you.” “Kill me.” You whispered to yourself, sinking into your chair, making your Dd chuckle. “And the upside? They always smell like food.” Uncle Dean declared, making you grimace: “That’s disgusting...in what uncultured alternate universe is that an upside?” You questioned. “Food?!” Uncle Dean couldn’t possibly see how it wasn’t an upside. “Upside? That they smell like food?” Your Dad scrunched up his face in disgust, joining in with your side while Mary sat in between, watching with a tolerant stance.

“Okay, screens down. Eyes up!” Mary declared, almost making you jump. “Sorry...” Everyone looked down, sat up straight and shifted awkwardly in their seats. “Okay. Good.” Mary nodded. “So uh...You guys have met those fancy Men Of Letters?” Wally asked, although he seemed to be aiming the question at you. Wally was the Hunter who asked for help with the case, he’d contacted Mary who’d brought the four of you into it. “You mean the British Men Of Letters?” “I lived with them. So yeah.” You nodded, raising your eyebrows. “And yet your Dad’s a Winchester?” he was curious, not rude, so you answered him. “Yeah...My Mum was English so I grew up in Europe.” “In London?” He seemed fascinated. “Yep. It’s pretty dull, but foreigners seem to like it.” “I’ll bet.” “Yeah...”

“Those guys have gadgets, but they kept my Niece from me and they tried to kill my Brother.” Uncle Dean grumbled, you gave a tight smile, feeling like a slight outcast as they spoke about American Hunting as though it deserved it’s own trade mark symbol. You hadn’t realised, but your Dad was eyeing your reactions.

Spraycan in hand, you drew out a circle, adding in the runes and symbols to trap the demon that would hopefully fall into it’s centre. When you stepped back your Dad threw a rug over it and watched as you tied your shoe laces, wondering if he should bring it up or not. To his surprise, you said it instead: “Stay behind me? Don’t do anything stupid? Be safe?” You guessed his words, crossing your arms slightly.

With a disapproving look, he nodded. “What? You say it every time!”

“And I mean it every time!” He retaliated. Only, his voice was more harsh than you thought it would be. You backed up slightly, aware you’d crossed some sort of line. “...Y/N, I’m sorry...I’m just worried about you...” He looked down guiltily. “I know...I’m sorry too. I’ll stay behind you guys.” You exclaimed, offering a tight smile. He nodded before saying “Okay, everything’s gonna be just fine.”

But, it really wasn’t.

After a few minutes of positioning yourselves you decided on your stations- Wally was outside in case he came from a different entrance, Uncle Dean was in the doorway, his gun aimed towards the front door, fully loaded with demon-trap bullets, Dad was at the side of the front door, prepared for a different angle of attack, Cas was behind and Mary to the side. You were next to Mary where she had hand out to stop you from going any nearer towards the door. As much as you appreciated their determination to keep you out of harms way, you were a little irritated by the over protectiveness of everyone. However, you’d told your Dad you’d stay back so that’s exactly what you did.

Seconds after you’d sharpened your knife, a faint whistling could be heard. Everyone shared a look and you all prepared for impact. The whistling grew louder and you knew something was wrong. The way he seemed to whistle was too confident, too repetitive. He knew- you were sure of it -he knew you were in there. Before you had a chance to test this theory, he opened the door, tilting his head at Uncle Dean. “Why the hell are you in my house?” The demon snarled.

Uncle Den fired, ignoring the question, yet, despite the bullet going straight through him, he didn’t seem at all phased. Chuckling slightly he stepped forward, Uncle Dean shot again but nothing happened. There were no signs of pain let alone death. The demon kicked away the carpet, revealing the devil’s trap you’d spray-painted earlier. “Hunters.” He spat.

In an attempt to rid of the demon, your Dad attacked from behind, digging his demon-blade into the back of his vessel. Again, no result. The demon opened his mouth to speak, but he changed his mind when his eyes landed on Cas: “Angel”. With a deathly stare he marched straight for Cas, pushing Uncle Dean and Mary out of the way. He threw Cas to the floor and a fight kicked off. You weren’t sure what was going on with your Dad and Uncle, but by the sounds of it they were occupied with demons of their own.

Focusing on the demon in the room with you, you swung your blade at him, dodging when he tried to hit you back. He threw you to the floor without making contact, a thrust of his hand and you were down. Mary raced over to you, trying to help you back up only soon she was sent backwards as well. “Hiya sweetheart.” The man grinned, his eyes flashing a flaming yellow as he stared down at Mary. With Cas back on his feet he distracted the demon, giving you and Mary time to recover. Rising from the floor and ignoring the pain in your hand, which must have been a broken wrist or something, you raced reached out for your blade which had fallen from your grip.

As you managed to grasp hold of it you heard a deafening smash to see Cas being sent crashing through the window out on to the garden. “Run!” Cas managed, shouting at you and Mary. Mary nodded and grabbed hold of your upper arm, dragging you away from the scene.”I’m not leaving him.” You bitterly declared as you tugged yourself away from her grip, chasing after Cas.

As you raced down the stairs, just dodging a demon as they tried to shove past you. You ignored the shouts of your Dad and Uncle, determined to get to Cas in time. “Hey!” You shouted. The demon was stood above Cas, holding some sort of spear. When he lowered it towards his body you practically screamed at him to stop, sprinting towards the scene. The weapon stabbed through Castiel’s body, making him cry out in pain. You raced over, attacking the demon with the same defenseless blade because that was all you had- and you had to do something.

“Y/N...” Cas managed before the sound of a car cut him off. You looked up to see Mary coming to a halt and leaping out of the car. “What happened?” She asked, kneeling down next to you and Cas. “He stabbed Cas with...I don’t know what it was.” You shook your head, looking about the place in case he was coming back.

“We need to go, we can’t stay here.” You insisted. “Yes, go” Cas nodded in attempt to keep you both safe. Mary shared a look with you and you grabbed one of Cas’ arms each, heaving him off the ground and into the car.

You sat in the back with him, blood was pouring on your hands, but you kept pressure on his wound, ignoring the river of red. Cas was shivering in your arms, his whole vessel breaking up. “You’re gonna be fine.” You assured him, changing hands on the wound. Orbiting the gash were lots of vein-like black lines slowly seeping their way along his skin. You watched in shock, having never seen anything like it, but made sure your face didn’t show it as not to frighten him.

“Let’s go in here.” Mary suggested, parking just outside some sort of barn house. You nodded, trying your best to help Cas out of the car while still keeping the cloth on his wound.

You and Mary helped Cas into the barn-house, an arm each round your shoulders as you gently laid him on the floor, leaning against an old trough. “Cas, hey come on. Stay with me.” You held his face, looking into him desperately as he struggled to fine his bearings. Mary’s phone rang so she stood up away from you both: “Yeah...take a left and keep going...we’re at an old farm house...yeah she’s with me....she’s fine, but....it’s Cas...”.

Your wrist had bruised slightly, swelling a little. You grimaced slightly at the pain, but focused on Cas. Kneeling down next to him, you felt helpless, you didn’t know what kind of magic that was, but it wasn’t a regular wound. “Y/N, come here.” Mary’s stern voice made you pull yourself away from the injured to see what she wanted.

You both turned away from Cas and spoke in hushed voices “How bad is it?” She asked. “Pretty bad...I’ve never seen anything like it...It’s some sort of magic that’s for sure.” She sighed and looked down “We need to do something.” “I know...I just don’t know what.”

At that moment the door swung open and your Dad and Uncle walked straight over to you both. You pulled your sleeve down over your wrist as not to worry anyone and slipped away from the huddle to check on Cas. “Hey, love.” You whispered, feeling your eyes want to cry. You blinked away the urges, smiling comfortingly at him. “Y/N...you’re hurt.” He nodded at your wrist and you almost laughed. “Cas, that’s the least of my worries right now.” He cried out, shouting in agony, his body jolting a little.

“Cas?!” Uncle Dean’s worried voice grew closer as he knelt down opposite to you. You looked at each other with worried eyes. “Sam.” He ordered, clearing his throat before adding “Sammy.”

Dad looked towards where you were both crouched over Cas’ wounded body and hurried over. He knelt down next to you, placing one hand gingerly on your back. “Cas..?” His tone of voice said it all. It was bad. And there was nothing you could-

“You idiots. You’re all going to die.”

Looking up, you frowned at the man. It was Crowley- King Of Hell. He stepped forward and looked down at Cas with an unreadable expression. “What happened?” “He got stabbed with some sort of silver-tipped spear thing.” You said, not taking your eyes away from his wound. The vein-like structures had grown in length significantly, now curving towards his face along his neck. It was apocalyptic.

“Not a spear, a lance.” Crowley corrected you. “Hold on a second,” Your Dad rose from his position in thought “Those other demons were yours.” “Obviously.” You frowned. “They were my demons. Only they were there to keep others out. You should never mess with...” Crowley sighed and paused, considering his next words. “Does the name Ramiel mean anything to you?” You shook your head, a chorus of “no”’s erupted from the rest interrupted by a “yes”. Turning to look at Cas, he adjusted himself slightly, wincing, “Prince Of Hell.”

You weren’t one hundred percent sure what a Prince Of Hell was, but it didn’t sound good. Crowley explained the story of Ramiel, his offer to give Crowley the throne and his wish to be left alone. When he was finished you asked “Can you help him?”

Crowley shook his head “There is no cure.”

“There has to be! If you can trap Lucifer you fix a wound!” You shouted at him, making him jump at your sudden increase in volume. “I’m...sorry. But there’s nothing you can do.”

“Help us or get the hell out of here.” Uncle Dean demanded, standing right up against him menacingly.

You stayed next to Cas, leaning against a hay barrel looking defeated. Dad, Mary and Uncle Dean were discussing something about a plan. You got out you blade and sharpened it, contemplating going outside. “Y/N.” At the mention of your name you rose to your feet, giving Cas a reassuring smile before joining your Father. “Yeah?” “You ready?” “Why, what’s the plan?” “Hit him with all you got.” Uncle Dean crossed his arms proudly. “But he’s a Prince Of Hell, surely “everything we got” will just go straight through him?” You raised an eyebrow, aware you weren’t being overly optimistic.

“We’ve got to do something.” Mary cleared her throat “And this is that something, if you’ve got a better idea I’d love to hear it.” “That’s not what I meant...” “We know,” Dad offered a tight smile “Just be safe.” He squeezed your hand and you turned round to see Cas coughing and spluttering.

“You have to go.” Cas managed, his voice weak yet still of authority. “Cas...” You didn’t know what else to say.

“I mean it. Save yourselves and run. I love you,” He paused, taking a deep breath “I love all of you. You’re my family.” You smiled through teary eyes. “Please. Please don’t let my last moments be spent watching you die.”

Your heart broke and ached at the sight of him. Your mind trailed back to when you’d first met and he healed your foot for you, it was a small and yet kind gesture. He’d used his healing powers for you and you had none to give in return.

“No...Cas. We’re not going anywhere. We’re not leaving you.” Uncle Dean declared decisively. “We’re fighting for you Cas.” Dad agreed “And we’re not going to leave you.”

If Dad had anything more to say he was cut off by a crash, you all turned to see Crowley’s body hunched over. He’d been thrown in by...it must have been Ramiel.

As if on cue, his whistle sounded once more as he walked into the barn. “Evening.” He grinned, his eyes falling on you for a second, then to Cas. You stepped closer to Cas, ready to defend him.

Uncle Dean held up his lighter and dropped it, causing a ring of fire to arise round the Prince Of Hell. “Cosy.” Ramiel didn’t seem to be overly phased which made you wonder if he could escape. “You know we wouldn’t be in this situation if you hadn’t just left me alone.” He snarled. “Anyway,” he glared at all of you “You’ve stolen something from me. if I don’t get that back within thirty seconds...well...we’ll see, won’t we?” You shared a look of confusion with your Dad,before turning to the rest. “Stolen?” You echoed, trying your best to make it sound like it wasn’t a lie...which no doubt made it sound like a lie. Ramiel nodded “I don’t know which one of you it was, or if it was all of you. But I want it back.” He reached into his jacket pocket and took out a pocketwatch, starting the timer.

“Look, we don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.” Uncle Dean tried his best, but there was no stopping him now. “Twenty seconds.” “I’m serious. No clue.” Uncle Dean’s voice became louder as the tension in the room rose. “Ten seconds.” You looked at your Dad, then to Uncle Dean, then to Cas. All of which were waiting on something, looking more and more worried. Your eyes then fell on Mary who was staring back at Ramiel, she seemed to be ignoring your eyes. “Three.″ You swallowed. “Two.″ He stepped forward. “One.”

Confidently, his hands reached above his head where the Lance appeared through a clouded mist. He slammed it onto the ground, making you almost lose your footing and putting the fire out so he could escape.

Time to fight.

Everyone was instantly on the move, swinging blades and shooting bullets. He wasn’t disturbed by anything. Yet, you still kicked him off Uncle Dean, ducking under his incoming fist. As you parried to the left, Dad stabbed his back with a demon blade, making Ramiel’s attention turn elsewhere. With his back turned, Mary also stabbed him, only he was fast and had her on the floor in seconds.

You backed away, aware he had the Lance still firmly in his grip. He held it out in front of you, taking it back to swing at you. You twisted your body so it just missed and grabbed hold of the sides, now fighting to take it from his grasp. You struggled as your wrist was still bruised up and no doubt broken in places so your Dad held on too, allowing you to let go to kick Ramiel’s chest, separating him from his weapon.

Your Dad then swung and plunged the blade through his chest. He gasped in pain, stumbling backwards slightly before shouting out. His call fell to nothing as his body crumbled into nothing but a hazy mist of blackness. Everyone relaxed and caught their breath, staring at where Ramiel was just stood.

A series of coughing and spluttering made you all race over to Cas. You knet down next to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. He struggled to take his next breath, his body jolting with spasms. The next series of coughing made some sort of black substance seep through his lips. Gasping for air, his body stiffened.

You stared at him, his eyes becoming more and more lifeless as the seconds went by, everyone else was staring in silence. You then tore your eyes away to see Crowley holding the Lance, he looked up at you, holding your gaze a moment before looking back down at it. He then grasped hold tightly of either side and snapped the handle in two.

Some sort of blue orb of light erupted from the break, making you look away. It shined so bright the room disappeared from your vision before going back to normality. When you looked down at Cas he was perfectly fine, his face still had a few scratches, but his wounds were healed and there was no sign of infection of any kind.

“It’s all in the rune work.” Crowley broke the silence “Oh..you’re welcome.”

“So that’s it, you’re okay?” Mary asked hesitantly, leaning forward slightly.

“Yes.” Cas nodded slowly before saying “What did he mean...about somebody stealing something?”

A few seconds of silence broke out when Uncle Dean sighed “Who knows what that crazy man was talking about. Come on, let’s go home.”

On the way back to the Impala, you walked behind the rest, your hand running over your wrist. It had purples splotches over it with red tinges round the edges of them. You din’t notice your Dad fall behind until he spoke “Your wrist okay?” You nearly jumped when he said so, but cleared your throat before nodding “Yeah...it’ll heal.” You tugged your sleeve over it and looked at your feet, paying attention to each step you took. “I’ll get you a bandage when we get back.” Dad offered, trying his best not to keep going on about it and yet remain worried.

“Thank you.”

“How’re you holding up?” He asked, putting his hands in his jacket pockets and slowing to a halt. This forced you to do the same. “I’m...” You chose your words carefully “Okay.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah...I mean, as strange as it sounds hunting kinda helps. It takes my mind of things.

“Yeah no I get that.” He nodded. You looked over to see Uncle Dean and Mary leaning against Baby, talking about the case no doubt.

“Has uh...Mick been in contact since last time?”

You thought about it before shaking your head. “No...he’s been quiet.”

“Too quiet, or just quiet?”

“I don’t know yet... But he’s not stupid. Mr K and Toni are ignorant, but Mick’s brain doesn’t work like that. He’s just insistent.”

Dad nodded, probably clueless as to what he could say.

“They never had intentions of keeping me as part of the Men Of Letters. A few changed their minds over time....especially when...when Max died. Mick was one of the only ones who kept the promise of letting me go.” When you noticed your Dad’s face you added “I’m not defending him. I’m just...I don’t know...”

“No, that’s okay. I get what you’re saying. We just don’t particularly trust them.” Dad explained.

“Yeah...frankly they don’t trust each other so it’s a wise decision.”

He chuckled halfheartedly, before sighing. “So you’re okay with this? With being moved to another country...another continent...with a new family...It must be a lot to take in.” Dad empathised. It made sense that he was talking about this now, you probably wouldn’t have opened up as much when you first met.

“There’s no hunting in England. Everything’s surveyed...I never really did much field work until now-” “Really? You’re a pretty impressive Hunter for someone who hasn’t done so before.” “They train you pretty good. Plus Mum let me hunt with her sometimes.” You smiled at the memory. Whenever Mum got a whiff of a possible Hunt you’d practically beg to go with her. “If I stayed in England, then I wouldn’t even have a family...It’s better here...even if you guys don’t have Marmite.” Your Dad threw you a funny look and you couldn’t help but smile. “What?” He frowned, a smirk growing on his lips. “Hey don’t look at me, you love it or you hate it.” You chuckled, turning to head back to the Impala.

“What?” He followed you like a dog, curious to what you were talking about.

“You guys don’t have jaffa cakes either..” Your mind was now going through a list of food you hadn’t seen in a while. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Dad admitted, but he was enjoying your ramble none the less. “Or curry...how can you not have curry?!” Your Dad was grinning at you,his eyebrows raised as you mumbled to yourself- your face screwed up in thought “And Yorkshire’s! How could I forget Yorkshires..”

Part 13- Trust

Masterlist

I do not own these gifs

A/N: I’ve been so so busy which is why this Part is a little late...sorry, loves. Pls forgive me uwu Thanks for being amazing people, stay gorgeous x

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