Disclaimer: I own nothing related to the Supernatural series.

There is a park in New Orleans across St. Charles Avenue from Tulane and Loyola Universities that is home to hundreds of old Southern live oaks, covered in pale Spanish moss. The park is a popular tourist destination, especially during Mardi Gras season, when out-of-towners can unwind from hours of merriment and bead catching by retreating into nature and resting in the shadows of the oak trees.

When tourist season is now in full swing, students from the nearby universities spend their weekends on the emerald lawn, setting up volleyball nets or flag football tournaments. Others choose to throw a beach towel on the ground and spend a lazy Saturday or Sunday sunbathing while catching up on homework or studying for the next big exam.

Days and seasons pass quickly in the sun, sometimes blending together so much so that it is 80 degrees in February, yet the trees remain the same. Sure, they get flooded out from time to time, especially in the summer when Louisiana's daily showers pass through, but the old Southern live oaks continue to stand, covered in Spanish moss.

In the middle of the park, or as close to the middle as one can assume, stands a particularly large Southern live oak. Its branches, thick and knotted, twist and turn their way upwards and downwards, some permanently disfigured from tourists and students sitting on it for photo ops.

There's nothing overly special about this tree—it's draped with Spanish moss, just like its nearby siblings, and it also provides shade and comfort to students on the weekends and particularly comfortable weekdays. However, if one looks closely enough, a shape, elliptical in nature, winds its way around the trunk, suggesting this tree is the union of two merging together.

Some longtime residents of Uptown and the Garden District will tell you that this tree has been around since their great grandparents were kids and even before that. Others will say that it has certain qualities that are unnatural, that it is the source of magic for all those who practice voodoo or witchcraft. The tree is fondly called the Tree of Life to residents of the area, but as to how it got its name, the jury is still out. The Tree of Life is where our story begins…

"Ahh, my butt," the young girl winced as she gingerly pushed herself upwards. She had been sitting with her back against the huge tree for what seemed like hours and her tailbone did not appreciate it. On her outstretched legs sat a laptop, battery life at 15%, and screen barely visible from the early May sun.

The girl rubbed her eyes and looked away from the screen, her vision drinking in the natural views of grass, trees, ducks, and other students. It was a welcome relief from staring at a screen all day. She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes. What a way to spend a Saturday, nonstop studying for her exam on tort law.

"How's it going over there, Addie?" a voice jerked the young woman out of her glorious, non-tort related reverie.

"My computer is about to die, my brain is fried, my butt is in serious pain, and I'm starving Kate," Addie said, glancing over at her friend, a perky looking brunette with small green eyes and a face splashed with freckles. "I still don't understand why a crime due to negligence, which causes legal action, isn't classified as criminal negligence. Sometimes I feel like law is just whatever you want it to be as long as you're convincing."

"So you want to call it a day then?" Kate asked. "I was thinking we could go out to dinner tonight? We could go to that Thai place you love on Magazine."

Addie closed the lid of her laptop and Kate did the same. She didn't want to say it, but she really didn't want to spend any more time with Kate than she needed to. Not that there was anything wrong with Kate, she was just…clingy.

"Maybe some other time. I think I'm going to go running once I get home and changed," Addie said, standing up and stretching. The massive tree she was standing next to dwarfed all four foot eleven inches of her even further.

Kate pouted slightly but nodded, gathering her teal beach towel as she stood up.

"There's also a new recipe I want to try out tonight too," Addie explained. "It's a strawberry and banana cream pie. I'm really excited to see how it turns out. The recipe doesn't look too complicated, but you never know."

"I should've known you were ditching me to go bake something! I swear, why on earth are you in law school? Culinary school was definitely your calling."

"I'm not ditching you, I just want to spend some time with pie. Besides, all this tort talk has me really craving tortes, or any kind of baked good, you know?"

"Fair enough. Let's get out of here, it's starting to get dark." Kate said, shivering slightly as she picked up her bag, beginning her walk towards the lights lining St. Charles Avenue. "I hate being here at night."

"Oh give me a break," Addie said, stifling a smirk as she shoved her laptop into her messenger bag, "you're one of those people? They're trees, Kate, trees. They aren't going to bite you or drag you to the underworld, or whatever the hell people are saying these days."

"Ha ha," Kate muttered under her breath. "It's not the trees I'm afraid of, it's the witches that come here at night and the weird creatures they summon."

"Kate, you sound like an absolute nut," Addie responded. "Besides, it's not even dark yet, and I hear they only go after brunettes on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, so you're good!"

Kate offered a retort, but Addie wasn't paying attention. Her mind was on the fresh strawberries and ripe bananas sitting on her counter at home, just waiting to be thrown together in a pie. She may need the help of her secret ingredient for this one though, especially with the mixing.

When they reached Tulane's campus, the two young women parted ways. Kate headed to her apartment further Uptown and Addie made way for her home a little closer to the Garden District. The sun was setting quickly, casting a dusky orange shadow behind the old, columned homes that lined St. Charles Avenue.

Addie opened an old, wrought iron gate and sprinted up the stairs to the door. As she fiddled with her keys, she noticed a large orange tabby cat sitting in the windowsill, waiting patiently. Once the door was open, the cat leapt from his perch and wove himself between her legs.

"Hey Apollo," Addie said affectionately, scratching the cat's ears and under his chin. "I missed you! How was your day?"

"I really hate being stuck inside all day, Addie, you know that," the cat muttered, leaping back into the windowsill, yellow eyes flickering. "It's humiliating! People walk by and gawk at me and tap on the window and say how cute I am…"

"Well, they're not wrong about that," Addie said playfully, scratching Apollo under the chin again. "Have you heard any updates about that coven we've been tracking? Kate said the weirdest thing about witches summoning creatures up in the park at night. Does that hold any weight?"

"I'm not sure," Apollo said, wrapping his tail tightly around his body. "It couldn't hurt to check out though, right?"

Addie walked to her closet door and opened it, pulling aside the hanging clothing. The back of the closet was filled with old and new newspaper clippings, highlighted, and annotated, but they all had one thing in common—the bake off.

"We could, but honestly Apollo, the bake off is right around the corner, and if we want to catch the son of a bitch who's been poisoning all those people and ripping their hearts out, we have to get a pie that's good enough to make it through the first three rounds."

"What's on the menu tonight?"

A/N: Review please!