A/N: I don't own Supernatural.
This is my first Supernatural Fanfic. Constructive criticisms are welcomed but please no flames. This story starts in season four and is A/U from then on. I'll update as soon as I can. I'm a Navy wife with two kids and a husband that has severe PTSD due to two tours in Iraq and fighting pirates in Somalia. I write when I can and I promise to update at least once a month. I hope you guys enjoy this beginning of my story and please review and let me know if it's worth continuing. Thanks so much.
Chapter 1
The sudden vibrations coming from the sleek black cell phone on the makeup table startles the young brunette from her troubled thoughts. A tiny tan hand quickly taps the accept button on her cell and instantly the familiar gruff voice of her favorite mentor grabs her attention.
"Hey kid. I got a situation here that your ahh book learning could come in handy with. Need ya here ASAP." Bobby Singer didn't like asking for help. The aging hunter could handle pretty much anything on his own, but when recently deceased Dean Winchester is standing in his living room Bobby knew he needed to call in some reinforcements.
"Sure thing Bobby, I'll hit the road right after my shift." The brunette rasps softly into the phone before ending her call.
Maria Soraya Gonzalez owed her life to that man and when Bobby Singer calls the curvy Latina drops everything to do what he asks of her. It's been seven years since the incident that changed her life took place.
Ria was a twenty-one year old girl just out of nursing school. She'd been so naïve and innocent back then. Ria was celebrating finishing school early and starting the next chapter in her life. Her best friend Amia had been determined to break her out of her good girl shell. Downtown Buffalo was their destination and Chippewa street was the place to party.
Ria had self-consciously tugged on her short black dress all night despite the fact that her mocha skinned best friend Amia told her she was fucking hot and to just accept that. Ria isn't exactly on the slim side but her size twelve is decently proportioned. La guitarra is what all the older Puerto Rican men in her old neighborhood called her in reference to her full breast, to the indent of her soft fleshy waist and the swell of her round hips.
Amia was the beautiful one, tall and lean with legs for days. Ria always felt awkward around girls like Amia and her very own sister Nina. Ria was short where they were tall. Ria was always too curvy while they were slim and waif like. They were classically beautiful where Ria was more sultry in looks.
That night at the club had been fun and thrilling. Ria let Amia dress her and eyes were following her stacked frame everywhere she walked. A tall dark stranger hadn't taken his eyes off of her most of the night. Ria wasn't exactly well versed in seduction but encouraged by her ballsy bff and a few shots of tequila the short brunette made her move.
Something about this stranger was intoxicating. He was dangerous and sexy and somehow had Ria ditching her best buddy to make out in the dark alley behind the club. It was all so cliché when she thinks about it now. The tall dark stranger with his mesmerizing eyes and seductive voice casting a spell over her, she should have seen it coming but she wasn't a hunter then.
Ria was just a girl in the wrong place at the wrong time. It all felt so damn good until that moment the stranger had sunk his fangs in her throat. After that it all seemed to happen so quickly. One moment she's struggling to live and the next she's being tossed aside like a rag doll.
Woozy from blood loss, Ria could barely make out a hulking figure in a plaid shirt and trucker's hat wielding a large machete similar to the one her abuelito used to cut sugar cane on the plantations in Puerto Rico. Ria lay motionless but wide-eyed as the head of her attacker was easily separated from his shoulders by a swift hack of the machete.
"Hey…hey you alright?" The gruff voice startled Ria into a screaming fit, the shock of everything finally catching up with her. "Shut up will ya…don't need to make a scene."
Ria hiccupped back her sobs and wiped the tears from her dirty cheeks. The older man ripped a piece of his plaid shirt and pressed it to the nasty wound on her neck. "You're gonna need to get that looked at." Ria silently nodded her head afraid of making the stranger angry.
"What was that guy?" Ria continued to shake as she tried to figure out why this was happening to her. The man introduced himself as Bobby and reluctantly explained that a real life vampire attacked her and she's lucky he'd been tracking the leech when he caught up to them in the alley.
Ria wanted to keep asking questions but something about this man told her he's not one for explaining things to a foolish girl like her. He scolded her but good and sent Ria on her way with a warning about avoiding situations like this in the future and not to be such an idjit.
The once naïve girl left that dirty alley a new person. Her eyes opened to things that go bump in the night. Ria from that night forward threw herself into the world of the supernatural. Research had been her main concern but soon going out and hunting the things that she read about consumed her whole life.
Ria's family and friends couldn't understand the change in her. They couldn't understand her being out all night and covering her apartment in devil's traps and salt. Her sister thought she needed to find a good man and settle down, her parents thought she needed to be committed and her best friend Amia thought she needed to finally get laid. It wasn't long after a particularly awkward intervention that Ria knew she needed to head out on the road.
The tiny beauty packed what was most important to her in her brother's old sea bag and took the first greyhound out of Buffalo, NY. Several weeks passed before she ended up at Singer Salvage. Bobby cursed her out and reluctantly took her under his wing, bringing her up right in the ways of hunting.
Ria shakes off her thoughts of the past and applies her vibrant crimson lipstick to her full lips. After clipping a large red rose in her glossy black curls Ria is ready for her turn on the stage. She knows Bobby needs her but she also needs the cash from her performance before hitting the road.
Ria's a burlesque dancer and sometimes stripper if she's really desperate. She's only gone topless a handful of times but that was only because she really needed the cash to purchase a vehicle. Catching a bus from town to town had gotten pretty expensive and tedious.
Ria stumbled into the world of burlesque when an older woman with a head full of snow-white hair in a small diner told her she had the body for it, an hourglass shape that could make her a lot of money. Especially because the old woman named Olivia owned such a place that needed an exotic Spanish Rose.
Ria's mother always told her, 'Mija, god would not have made you so beautiful for nothing…' Ria doubts this is what God or her mother had in mind.
The money is good and no one really asks too many questions about how she spends her off time. It's easy to go from town to town and make some decent cash for a few nights work. Nursing hunters don't really pay the bills. The hunters she meets always need a few stitches there or some pain meds here. They usually trade weapons for her nursing skills or show her some new techniques in dealing with demons.
Occasionally there'll be a twenty-dollar bill or two slipped in her small hand as a thank you for patching them up. But when the money is really tight Ria will find a local club and dance a few nights for lonely men or unsatisfied husbands. She slips on a thick accent, ruby-red lips and becomes an exotic Spanish rose.
Ria's glad that Bobby called. She's just finished up tracking a demon that feeds off the fear of small children. She tousled with the demon for a minute and Ria eventually exorcised the bitch but was unable to save the poor bastard she occupied. That's just how is goes sometimes. You save a few and you lose a few but you keep on fighting.
Ria checks over her body making sure that the bruises she got from her last hunt are well hidden. Once satisfied that her black and red corset is cinched just right Ria takes to the stage and shakes her moneymakers to the Marilyn Monroe classic diamonds are a girl's best friend.
There are whistles and catcalls and even proposals of marriage. The curvy brunette tunes them out as she shimmies and shakes to the music. A few flirtatious winks and smiles earn her a few extra bills. But the real money-maker is when she purrs a seductive "Papi" into the ear of a paunchy booze soaked business man in a nondescript wrinkled grey suit.
After a few more dances and a few private chats where she plies the grabby men with more expensive champagne which earns Ria a nice commission, the Latina is ready to hit the road with a huge wad of hundred-dollar bills. The money she earned the past two weeks will buy medical supplies for at least a month or two and keep her from sleeping in her truck.
The club owner and the other dancers are sad to see Ria go but she knows Bobby wouldn't have called if he didn't really need the help. Ria pretty much has an idea of what's going on. Bobby's a father figure to the Winchester boys and Sam has tried everything he can to get his brother out of the pit.
Ria thinks the younger Winchester just might have found a crossroad demon willing to deal. She hopes not but those boys will do anything for each other, after all that's exactly what got them into this mess in the first place.
Ria's not exactly sure why Bobby needs her help with research. Bobby has a more extensive library than her own haphazard collection. The tiny brunette won't question her mentor. She'll pretty much do whatever the man asks, so if he wants her to research then she'll research till her honey colored eyes fall out her head if that's what it takes.
It takes two days driving to get to Bobby's but Ria makes it in one piece. The brunette makes sure to stop by the local farmers market before heading to his home. If she knows anything about Bobby it's that his fridge is seriously lacking in healthy food options. One cannot live on bourbon and chili alone.
Ria's cell rings as she grabs the canvas bags from the back of her dark blue 55' Chevy pickup. Her precious Bess that cost her an arm and a leg but is worth every penny. "Hola mami…" Ria's raspy voice chirps tiredly into the phone.
"When are you coming home? You know your sister is getting married in a few months." Lydia Gonzalez is not a woman to waste time on banal chit-chat. She's always straight to the point.
"I'm good…and you too. That's great." Ria ignores her mother's matter of fact tone of voice.
"Seriously mija, you can't just traipse around the country like some gypsy. You have a family and when is the last time you went to mass?" Lydia scolds her grown daughter like a two-year old child.
Ria ignores the twinge of pain that hits her right in the chest. Always the good catholic girl and what did that get her. She'd been attacked by a monster that God just turned a blind eye too. Still she occasionally stops in a church on her way through a town she's hunting in.
Ria hasn't completely let her faith go. It's just not as strong as it once been. She'll make her confession and she's pretty sure the priest doesn't believe half of what she says but she'll do her penance anyway. Four Hail Mary's and six Our Father's for exposing her carnal flesh to married men.
"Did you get the money I sent?" Ria just plows through the conversation as fast as she can. Ria knows that her mother is never going to let up with her guilt trips.
"Do I even want to know how you got it?" Lydia isn't a fool. She knows her daughter is never in one place for very long. The Puerto Rican mother of five knows that her youngest girl is chasing after something. If only Ria would come home. Lydia's not sure what has her daughter so consumed but whatever it is will not end well for Ria.
"Mami I have to go. I'm fine. I'm still alive. Don't worry so much. I'll call you next week. Give pa my love." Ria hangs up the phone before her mother can answer back. She fishes out the spare key Bobby gave her last year from her oversized purse.
The musty scent of old books hits her quickly and Ria can feel herself relax. This is home. Ria opens the fridge and sure enough all that's there is an old jar of mustard, some moldy cheese, a few beers and a jar of lamb's blood. The cupboards are full of cans of pork and beans. Did this man even know what a vegetable looked like?
Once the kitchen is cleaned and stocked to Ria's liking, she takes a quick hot shower before throwing herself into Bobby's massive library of supernatural books.
Her dark glossy curls are pulled into a messy bun atop her round head. Her Victoria Secret PINK brand yoga pants and tank top cling to her round shape in all the right places. The deep rosy pink of her top brings out the golden tones in her caramel colored skin. Ria's purple cat eye glasses sit precariously on the tip of her small nose.
She flips a few pages of several books spread across Bobby's messy desk. Her tan legs pulled up underneath her as she taps furiously on her IPad, taking a few notes about Hell and if anyone has ever been saved from its fiery pits.
This is how Bobby and Dean find the curvy Latina, deep in her thoughts as she bites her plump bottom lip. Her Monroe piercing sparkling just under the bottom left side of her Cupid's bow lip.
"Bout time you got here." Bobby grinds out as Ria's dark head snaps up from the depths of the large tome in her lap.
"Holy shit your Dean Winchester!" Ria drops the large book in her lap as she jumps up in surprise. "How the fuck did you get out of hell?"
"That's exactly what I'm trying to find out." The gravel in the eldest Winchester's voice is more pronounced from four months of screaming out in pain during his stay in the pit.
Dean eyes Ria a little wearily. In his years of hunting he's never come across the girl but if Bobby can vouch for her than he'll trust her to help out. The old drunk thinks of the short female like a daughter.
"Dean this is Ria Gonzalez. I called her in to help figure this mess out. She's pretty damn smart. " Bobby unceremoniously drops his tattered duffel on the scuffed up hardwood floor.
"You're the nurse. I heard of you. My dad told me once that I should get a hold of you if I ever needed some urgent care." Dean vaguely remembers the conversation with his father. At the time Dean found it amusing that there was a nurse/hunter out and about on the road.
"That's me. I heard about your dad. He was a really good guy, saved my ass once or twice." Ria walks around the desk and grabs her black back pack. She pulls out a stethoscope and blood pressure cuff.
"What ya got there kid?" Bobby barks at her while pouring himself a shot of whiskey.
"Just wanna make sure everything is as it should be Old Man." The playful tone of her smoky voice makes Bobby crack a small grin.
"I'm fine. I feel tired and hungry but good." Dean wasn't one to admit if he was feeling a little off now and then.
"I'll be quick." Ria swiftly and with a certain practiced ease begins her examination of Dean.
She takes his vitals then asks the young hunter to take off his shirt. A crocked smirk spreads across his handsome face. "Usually I get a few drinks in me before I start getting naked."
Ria rolls her honey doe eyes. "Believe me Chulo, it's nothing I haven't seen before." Ria pats Dean's stubble cheek with her small hand. Dean's green eyes travel not so subtlety to the ample cleavage on display.
He can tell the double d's are real by the sway of the soft flesh encased in pink lace. It's been fucking years since Dean has seen a perfect pair of breast and he's taking full advantage of his view.
"Feisty…I like it." Dean smirks again before stripping his tight grey t-shirt off. Ria ignores the ogling. She's been getting those looks since she hit puberty and her small body filled out in all the right places.
Majority of men never look in her in the eyes. Ria's pretty sure if she asks Dean what color her eyes are the hunter wouldn't even come close to giving the right answer.
Ria studies the hand shaped burn on Dean's shoulder before poking and prodding his warm skin. "Does it hurt when I do this?" Her small calloused fingers press firmly right about where his liver should be located.
"No." Dean watches Ria as she finally takes a look at the red swollen flesh of his burn. Her small fingers graze the raised flesh and a little tingle spreads through her body. Something about this burn seems off.
Ria digs through her black bag and pulls out a small jar. She gingerly applies the ointment and Dean hisses at first but the cooling sensation eases the pain. "Here, keep this. Put it on to ease the pain." Ria hands Dean the jar and takes one long appraising look at the man.
Dean feels exposed and naked that has nothing to do with him being shirtless. "You done? I got more important things to do than play doctor." His gruffness doesn't phase Ria. She's use to Bobby's personality and Dean is just like the old man.
"I'm done. Everything looks good." Ria is just slightly confused by the green-eyed man in front of her.
"That's a good thing…right?" Bobby can tell that Ria isn't sure that everything is as it seems.
"He's perfect. But that's the problem, every vital is text-book perfect. Nobody is that perfect, especially not hunters." Ria can't seem to wrap her head around how Dean is standing in front of her in such pristine condition.
"So what are ya saying sweetheart? I got a clean bill of health." Dean pulls on his t-shirt and locks eyes with the brunette. Something about her honey irises catches him off guard. He doesn't like how he can't read her as well as she can read him.
"Whatever pulled you from the pit brought you back in pristine condition. It's like day one. Like the moment you were born." Ria tosses her stethoscope and glasses in her bag. She takes the glass of whiskey from Bobby's hand and takes a sip. She grimaces at the burn in her throat.
Bobby and Ria have no idea what could have enough power to do something like that. Neither hunter has come across anything in their earlier research to suggest that souls could be rescued from hell.
Bobby tells them they should go see Pamela after they find Sam. Pamela is a powerful psychic and might be able to find out what creature pulled Dean from the pit. Then maybe they can find a way to hunt it.
The youngest Winchester is in the area and Dean wonders if he might have had something to do with his sudden reincarnation. Dean wants answers and hopefully Sam and Pamela can give him the information he needs.
Ria changes out of her sweats and into her typical pin-up girl outfit. A pair of black cropped pants, a red gingham button up top cinched at her waist with a black belt and bedazzled skull buckle, white silk flower clipped in her shiny black curls and a pair of red patent leather cork heeled wedges. Her signature red lips and black cat-eye liner finishes her retro look.
Dean's not quite sure what to make of the female hunter. She's the most feminine hunter he's encountered besides Jo, Ellen, and Annie. Most female hunters have more facial hair than Bobby. Dean shudders at the thought. If it weren't for the lip piercing and the few tattoos he can see Ria could step right out of a picture of the 1950's.
A few hours later Bobby, the two Winchesters and Ria are in the emergency room parking lot. Stunned is not even the right word to describe the group of hunters. Whoever this Castiel is was more powerful than anything any of them have dealt with before.
Sam is oddly preoccupied and Ria wonders if it has anything to do with the brunette in his hotel room from earlier. Ria has always been the silent observer in her crazy loud family and can read people rather well because of that.
Sam and the girl seemed to have just met but something about the way they looked at each other just screamed there is more to the story between them. Ria at this point doesn't really care, all she wants to do is distance herself from this situation as quickly as possible.
Sam leaves to take care of some things which Ria feels has to do with the mysterious girl and Dean makes a plan with Bobby. "We summon the bastard and then we gank it after we figure out what it wants." Dean is stalking around the parking lot like a caged tiger.
"Are you crazy? A glance at it burned Pamela's eyes out of her head." Ria loves Bobby but she's ready to pack her bags and hit the road. Getting involved with the Winchesters is like playing Russian roulette.
"What else am I supposed to do? This thing wants me out of Hell for a reason. I'm not waiting around for it to come to me. I'm going after it with or without you sweetheart." Dean growls at the tiny brunette.
Bobby gives her that look she can't say no to. The one that says 'I saved you and you kinda owe me so just help out cuz ya know I'd do the same for you' look. "I'm in. Let's just do this right."
An hour later the trio is painting every symbol and summoning ritual they can think of on the walls and floor of an abandoned barn. Ria drops her paint brush in the empty can of black paint and scans her IPAD for any other symbols she can think of.
Dean and Bobby check over their stash of weapons trying to make sure they're prepared for anything that comes their way. Ria can't help but to smirk at the offended look Bobby gives Dean when he asks if he did the ritual the right way. If a ritual needs to be done Bobby Singer is the man who knows exactly what to do.
Suddenly everything is quite, so quite that not even a cricket is heard in the silence. The hairs on Ria's neck stand on edge as the tin roof rattles like crazy. Dean wistfully muses that it's just the wind but all three hunters know it's not.
Each hunter grabs their favorite weapon, for Ria it's large serrated blade dipped in holy water. The girl has always been good with knives. She's a decent shot but is a genius when it comes to anything sharp. Her aim is true and Ria can hit a moving target at twenty paces blindfolded.
Ria's grip tightens on the worn wooden handle as the barn begins to shake uncontrollably. Bobby takes a protective stance in front of her as the lights begin to pop sending sparks and shards of glass everywhere. The barn doors fly open and in the haze of sparks and smoke walks in a man.
Ria's is slightly underwhelmed at the sight of the unassuming man in his disheveled black suit and beige trench coat. She can feel her stomach drop at his intense stare. The blue of his eyes are as intense as the sea after a storm. He seems to be studying them. Dean and Bobby don't bother asking questions as they unload every bullet in their guns.
The man just keeps steadily walking towards them as if nothing has happened. "Who are you?" Dean demands as he grabs the demon knife tightly behind his back.
The man looks almost bored as he studies Dean. "I'm the one who gripped you tight and raised you from perdition." His voice is low and raspy and the nonchalant tone makes Ria's nerves stand on edge.
"Yeah…thanks for that." Dean grounds out as his grip tightens on Ruby's knife before he plunges it deep into the stranger's chest. Ria holds her breath as the man continues to seem unfazed by the attack.
He seems almost amused as he pulls the bloody blade from his chest. A surge of fear passes between all three hunters as Bobby takes a swing at the man with an iron crowbar.
Without so much as a backwards glance Bobby's attack is thwarted by the dark-haired stranger. Ria goes to help but Dean keeps a tight hold on her as Bobby is inexplicably knocked unconscious by a simple touch of fingers to his forehead.
Ria shakes off Dean's hold as the man turns he attention back to the green-eyed hunter. She ignores their exchange of words as she cradles Bobby's head in her lap. The only thing that catches her attention is when the stranger proclaims himself to be an angel of the lord.
The familiar pang in her chest seems to intensify at his mentioning of God. Ria's faith has been tested so many times for her to keep count but as the lightning and thunder roars about them and the shadowy image of wings manifests itself somehow that small part of her still believes.
"Why'd you do it?" Dean's face is hard as stone and the way Castiel is looking at him as if he can see into the very depths of his soul sends a chill down Dean and Ria's spines.
The angel looks solemnly between the two hunters. "Because God commanded it. Because we have work for you." He says this like it's the most obvious reason for Dean's soul being saved.
"Work?" Dean's not quite sure what this so-called angel wants from him. What type of work could God need from a man like him?
Castiel turns his all-knowing gaze to the woman cradling the old man's head in her lap. "You've already begun your mission. You've found the virtuous woman and now you must protect her."
Dean can't help but to give a snort of derision at the blue-eyed stranger's comment. "She ain't a virtuous woman. She's a stripper." Dean glares at Castiel and tries to understand the angel in front of him.
Castiel seems confused as he peers intensely into Ria's honey colored irises. "She is a daughter of Mary with no touch of man. It is in her blood." His matter of fact tone of voice makes Ria's eyes tear up. She doesn't like feeling so exposed in front of others.
"Wait a minute…you're a virgin?" Dean suddenly seems to have forgotten the angel and turns his disbelieving eyes on the Latina.
The color rises in Ria's cheeks and she can feel the heat in her face. "Just because I take my clothes off for money doesn't mean I sleep with men for money." The embarrassment is quickly replaced with anger.
"Seriously?" Dean can't seem to wrap his mind around how someone who looks like she does and works at the places she does can still be hanging on to her V card.
Ria ignores him and runs a her small hand over Bobby's still face. Castiel doesn't understand the raven haired woman's sudden anger. Isn't maintaining ones virtue a blessing? The angel can't seem to reason out why the eldest Winchester seems so surprised at revelation of Ria's virginity.
"Despite what you think God has chosen her and it is your job to protect her." Castiel's voice leaves no room for discussion.
"It has been commanded by God that the righteous man will protect the virtuous woman till the time comes for her to meet the chosen one. It is then that the virtuous woman and the chosen one shall conceive a child. This child shall unite heaven and earth against hell. This is God's will." Castiel curiously watches as Ria flashes him a contemptuous glare.
"You can tell your God that my womb isn't for rent. I'm not making babies with a stranger just because it's God's will. This is my body and my free will and I refuse." Ria stomps away from Bobby's unconscious form as she tries to quell the rising anger inside her.
"God is not asking…he is telling you what must be done." The irritation is clearly readable in the borrowed face of the angel. This is not a being that is accustomed to being told no.
Before Ria can respond Castiel is gone. With a flutter of invisible wings and in a blink of an eye the angel ceases to be in the old barn. Dean eyes Ria wearily as if this whole situation is her fault.
Bobby groans lowly as he begins to regain consciousness. Ria exhales deeply and takes a seat next to Bobby. She checks his pulse, respirations, and makes sure his pupils are not fixed and dilated.
"Stop fussin' over me kid. I'm fine." Bobby growls as he gets his bearings back. The old man isn't sure what the hell happened but whatever it is has Dean and Ria on edge. Neither looks too inclined to discuss what just went down. Meanwhile Bobby really does need a drink before either of them starts explaining.
Something tells him that tonight is definitely a bourbon type of night. "Come on old man let's get you home." Ria can still feel the twinge of electricity in the air and the distinct smell of thunder makes her stomach clench tight.
Dean still keeps his eyes on Ria and he's not sure what to believe. Demons and monsters are real to him. Those are things he can deal with but God and angels are just way out of the scope of his understanding. Dean thinks that the angel is right when he said he didn't believe he's worth saving.
He's just a hunter with a GED and a give em' hell attitude but that's hardly a qualification for carrying out God's will. "She's right. Let's get the hell out of here."
They pack up their gear as quickly as possible and head out to find Sam. There is research that needs to be done before the angel finds them again. The hunters are determined to be ready for him the next time Castiel decides to drop in on them. One can never be too prepared.
A/N: Please Review
