The Replacement
K Hanna Korossy

The Winchesters sure were nice boys. Garth eagerly waved at them once more as they shrank in his rear view. Dean had been hilarious the first time they'd hunted together, but Sam was pretty cool, too. And they made a great team, the three of them: that Shojo never had a chance. Garth grinned and turned on some Captain & Tennille to celebrate the win.

But...his grin slipped. Those poor boys were also pretty messed up. Garth had pretended not to notice, but Sam looked like he hadn't slept in, like, a year. He had that thin, haunted look like a couple other hunters Garth knew who'd ended up at the funny farm. He was probably on drugs—Garth had seen the signs before.

And Dean. He didn't want to hear it and Garth got that, but he was pretty sure Bobby's ghost was riding sidecar on Big Brother Winchester. Probs tied to that flask, but maybe just 'cause Dean was so sad. Garth had really wanted to give him an extra hug.

There'd been rumors, sure, about the Winchesters letting out the Devil, starting the Apocalypse, dying and coming back to life—yeah, right, and Garth was Karen Carpenter reincarnated—but whatever had really happened to them, the two of them were hurting. Garth sniffed, rubbing his prickling nose on his sleeve. Like losing their parents and then Bobby hadn't been enough.

Truth be told, the whole hunting community was reeling from losing Bobby Singer. The old dude had been the go-to guy on lore, hunting connections, and backup. Dean Winchester had some of the books and connections, Sam had the brains and the drive, but they had a bellyful of trouble already and something called Leviathan on their trail, which Garth wasn't keen on meeting. What they needed was...

He straightened, licking his lips at the thought. What they all needed was a new Bobby. Somebody who would man the phones and hook people up and be the Hunter Hotline. Somebody everybody trusted. Somebody guys like the Winchesters could go to when they needed some help, or just a pat on the back. Not another dad figure, of course, but maybe a cousin, or a friendly neighbor? Somebody like...

Heart thumping, Garth checked his mirror and changed lanes. He could totally do this—it would be awesome. Pick up a couple of phones, start collecting books and weapons and stuff up at Boyd's fishing cabin, maybe talk the Winchesters into storing Bobby's library with him. It would be like working with his best buds all the time!

Whistling along with "Love Will Keep Us Together," Garth took the next exit. He just had a stop to make first.

He needed to find a trucker's hat.

The End