Riley lay across the back seat of the Impala, her phone held up in her hand she searched the surrounding area for what she needed. She sat up, swung her legs around and scooted to the edge of the seat so she could lean over the front seat between Sam and Dean.
"I've got it!" She said, "Take the next exit."
Dean gratefully got off the freeway and said, "Thank God. I need to stab something, I am beyond bored." He followed Riley's directions and within a few moments they were pulling into a mall parking lot. Dean pulled into a space and killed the engine. Riley scrambled out of the car, dragging her purse out with her.
"So what's the job?" Sam asked, "Possessed mall cop? Greek god of greed? What are we hunting?"
Riley started walking toward the entrance, the boys following her. "Bargains!" She called over her shoulder. Sam and Dean stopped walking.
"Excuse me?" Dean asked.
"I'm hunting bargains. There's a bar in that restaurant there, you guys can chill there while I get some new clothes."
"Hold up." Dean said. Riley sighed and turned to face them.
"You stopped us to go on a shopping spree?" He asked incredulously with a raise of his eyebrows and that little shoulder jerk he did when he was irritated.
"Dean, I am down to one pair of jeans and two shirts. Everything else is blood stained and torn to shreds. I need clothes. I can't wear the same plaid button up everyday like you and Sam do. So go have a few drinks and I'll meet you at the restaurant in two hours." Without giving them a chance to argue, Riley turned back around and headed into the mall. The boys watched as she pulled a hair tie out of her purse and pulled her hair into a pony tail as she entered the mall.
"She's serious, Dean." Sam said. "You know she is getting down to business when she pulls her hair back." He punched his brother lightly on the arm and continued, "C'mon, let's go get those drinks. I'll bring in my laptop and we'll look for a real job while we wait for Riley."
"Sam, it's barely 10:00 in the morning." Dean replied.
Sam shrugged and asked, "When has that ever stopped you?"
Grumpy that he had been tricked into this whole excursion Dean stuffed his hands in his pockets and said, "Fine." and headed into the restaurant.
A couple hours later, Riley left the mall heavy laden with bags. She pulled the spare key to the Impala Dean didn't know she had and opened the back door and threw all her bags in the back seat. She shut the door and checked out her reflection in the side of the car. She'd thrown away the outfit she'd been wearing and was wearing a new blue dress. She knew it was kind of a silly purchase, how often was she going to be able to wear it considering her line of work but she'd tried it on and couldn't resist. Plus she was kind of hoping to get some kind of reaction from Dean, but that could just be wishful thinking.
She shut and locked the door behind her and walked into the restaurant. Not even bothering to check the dining area she strolled into the bar and immediately spotted Sam and Dean on stools at the far end of the bar. Sam saw her first and nudged Dean. He turned to look as she walked up and Riley smiled at the look on his face. She hopped up on the stool next to him and signaled the waitress. She came over and she ordered a drink before turning to the boys.
"Find anything?" She asked innocently.
Dean looked up from her bare legs and asked, "What?"
Riley laughed. "Did you find any jobs around here?"
Sam turned the laptop towards her and she leaned in across Dean to see the screen.
"About a week ago, there's a car crash, four people, driver dies on the scene, the other three walk away with barely a couple scratches." Sam says. He pulls the laptop back towards him and Riley sits back down on the stool. "Yesterday one of the kids shows up at the hospital with the same injuries that the driver had and dies in the hospital. She'd shown no signs of injuries the day before."
"So are we thinking the driver is coming around to make sure everyone else in the car joins him?" Riley asks.
"That's pretty much it." Dean replies. "So all we need to do is salt and burn the body. In and out."
Riley rolled her eyes, "Yeah, since when have our lives been that simple?"
"So tell me how that dress is going to be helpful in a hunt." Dean asks. Riley glanced around before leaning closer and saying, "Well it's not the most practical for what we do but it sure is easy to hide knives under it." Dean raised his eyebrows and she leaned away and crossed her legs, pulling up the hem of her dress for a moment so Dean could see the knife in the sheath high up on her thigh.
Dean grabbed his beer and took a long swallow before saying, "Yupp, you sure can, uh, strap a couple knives up under there. Very handy."
Sam cleared his throat and said, "Anyway, this town is just a couple hundred miles north of here, just outside of Seattle, so if we head out now we'll probably get there by this afternoon." Riley downed the rest of her drink and bounced off the stool.
"Alright, let's get going then." The boys followed suit, dropping some cash on the counter and they followed her out of the restaurant and back to the Impala. Riley waited for Dean to unlock the car and when he saw the bags in the backseat he asked,
"Hey, how did you get your stuff in the car?"
"You left a window open." She replied innocently as she climbed into the back seat, transferring her packages to the floor.
"Oh, I have to stop doing that." Dean climbed in and started the car while Sam caught her eye with a smirk. She just winked at him before kicking off her heels and lying across the back seat like she always did.
"Hey Dean can we maybe listen to the radio..."
"Nope." Dean said, sticking in one of his ancient tapes and turning up the volume to drown out the protest she didn't even bother to make. Sighing she pulled out her headphones and closed her eyes, letting herself relax while Dean got back on the freeway and headed north.
Almost four hours later Dean pulled the Impala into a nondescript motel on the edge of town. Sam started towards the office and Riley called after him, "Get me my own room this time!" Sam waved his hand to indicate he heard her and stepped into the office.
"What, too good to room with us guys?" Dean asked, leaning against the trunk of the car. Riley came over and leaned next to him.
"You know why I am getting my own room." Riley responded. Dean grinned.
"You that confident in our ability to score?" He asked.
"I'm that confident that there are just as many desperate, lonely girls in this town as in every other town we pass through." She replied with a laugh. Seeing Sam step back out of the office, they grabbed their bags and found their rooms. Riley changed into a new pair of jeans and pulled on a hoodie before trashing all the shopping bags and all her old clothes and repacking everything in her suitcase. The boys thought she was weird that she didn't leave everything lying around like they did but she liked to have everything in one place in case they needed to leave in a hurry.
She left her room and joined the boys. She sat down on the bed and asked, "Do we know where this kid is buried?"
"I'm checking now." Sam said from his computer at the small table across the room. "Ok here we go. Uh oh, little problem guys. He was cremated."
Dean groaned. "Great, now we have to find out what is anchoring this kid."
"What did I say about our lives being simple?" Riley asked as she got up and walked over to Sam to read the article over his shoulder. "Ok, so the guy's girlfriend and his brother were in the car too. So chances are he's gonna go after one of those two next." She straightened up and turned towards Dean. "I'll take the girlfriend, you two take the brother?" She asked.
"Yeah sounds good." Dean replied.
Riley left the room and changed into the suit she'd bought earlier and tucked her pistol into the side holster under the jacket. She walked back to the boy's room and they were both dressed in similar suits. As usual Dean couldn't tie his tie to save his life so she went up to him and brushed his hands aside and set about doing it herself. She loved having an excuse to be this close to him and she almost thought he felt the same way, considering that he always just stared down at her face while she knotted the tie instead of focusing on anything else. When she was done she stepped back and admired her work.
"Perfect, as usual." She said.
"Humble as always." Dean remarked. She punched him on the arm and started out of the room towards the car. "C'mon, you can drop me at the girlfriend's house on your way to the brother's."
They piled back into the car and headed out of the parking lot, turning left towards town. A couple minutes later they were dropping her off in front of an average looking two story suburban house. They made plans to meet up at the diner a couple of blocks away and the boys drove off.
Riley walked up to the front door and rang the bell. A teenage girl opened the door and Riley held up her fake FBI badge, flipping it open for a moment then returning it to her pocket. "Hello, I'm agent Remington. Are you Ivy?"
The girl nodded. "Is this about the accident? I've already spoken to the police; once after the accident and again after Bailey, um, passed."
"I've just got a couple of additional questions to ask. I promise I won't take up too much of your time. I understand that this a very difficult time for you."
Ivy nodded, "Alright, c'mon in." She led her down the hall and into a living room. Ivy gestured to the couch and Riley sat down. Riley noticed a picture of Ivy and a boy about the same age wearing matching sweatshirts with Junction High written across the front. "Is that you and Brian?" She asked. Ivy nodded and sat down on the other side of the couch.
Riley pulled out a small pad and a pen and asked, "I understand that Brian was driving the night of the accident. Can you tell me a little about what happened that night?" She asked. Ivy's eyes filled with tears and she dabbed at them with a tissue from the coffee table.
"We'd all gone to a concert that night. Brian and I were in the front seat and Brian's brother James was in the backseat with his girlfriend Leah. I guess we were all being kind of rowdy and Brian had just gotten his license the week before so he was still a little nervous driving, though he wouldn't admit that to anyone." Ivy paused to dab at her eyes again then continued. "James and Leah were really getting loud in the backseat and Brian finally turned around to yell at him and that was when he lost control of the car. We rolled a couple of times off the road and when we came to a stop Brian had a tree branch through his chest. He died before the ambulance even got there."
"And the rest of you had no injuries?" Riley asked.
Ivy shook her head, "Just a couple of scratches and bruises, nothing serious."
"But then a couple days later James's girlfriend died?"
Ivy looked bewildered. "Nobody knows what happened there. She was in the bathroom and I was waiting for her out in the hall when I heard her screaming. I ran into the bathroom and she was laying on the floor, bleeding from her chest, the exact same spot where Brian was impaled."
"Did you notice anything, strange, in the restroom or area around it around the same time that happened? Did it get cold, or were there any flickering lights?"
Ivy frowned, "Well now that you mention it, the bathroom was freezing when I ran in. How did you know that?"
Ignoring the question Riley asked, "Did Brian have a piece of jewelry he always wore, or maybe have a lock of hair or a vial of blood saved somewhere?"
Ivy just stared at her for a moment before blurting, "What the hell kind question is that?" Riley just stared at her. Ivy stood up, "I think it's time you left. If you have any more questions you can just review what I already told the police."
Riley nodded and stood up. "I'm sorry to have upset you." She left the living room and Ivy followed her to the front door and shut it behind her. Riley cringed. She hated that part. She wasn't as good at slipping the supernatural questions into the interviews as the boys were. She shrugged; at least she wasn't as bad as Castiel, she had never tried to interview a cat.
She started walking down the sidewalk towards the diner when her phone rang. She pulled it out of her pocket and answered. Dean's voice came over the line,
"Well I hope you had some luck. We got to the kid's house just as they were wheeling the body out. Same injuries as the first two and not a tree branch in sight."
Riley sighed. "I basically got squat. Ivy said the other girl was ganked in the bathroom and that the room was freezing when she got it there. Had to have been the ghost of the driver. She also said that the reason Brian lost control of the car was because the other three were being rowdy and he lost control of the car when he turned around to yell at them all. So he obviously blames them for his death."
"Well, she's the last one on the list so we're on our way back to you, we'll have to camp out outside her house and wait for the ghost to show up so we can figure out what is still lying around that we need to fry."
At that second Riley heard a scream come from behind her. She turned back to the house and started running. "Dean you better hurry up, I think he's here." She shut her phone and shoved it in her pocket, leaping up the stairs back into the house. She ran into the freezing living room to see Ivy backed up against the wall, the ghost of a teenage boy, covered in blood, walking toward her. Riley jumped over the couch to the fireplace, grabbed the iron poker and swung it through the ghost. It disappeared in a swirl just as Sam and Dean burst into the room.
Ivy looked from Riley to the boys then back again before yelling, "What the hell is going on?!"
Riley walked over to her and grabbed her by the arm, "You need to come with us. That was the ghost of your boyfriend and he will be coming back." Ivy resisted being pulled from the house.
"There is no way I am going anywhere with you!" Dean strode up and stood beside Riley.
"Look here little girl. That ghost is set on taking out everyone who was in the car with him and unless you want to be impaled by an invisible tree branch, you need to come with us until we figure out how to end this son of a bitch, understand?" Ivy stared at Dean for a moment then nodded meekly.
"Is there anyone else in the house?" Sam asked from behind everyone. Ivy shook her head.
"No, it's just me and my mom, and she left on a business trip this morning."
Sam and Dean lead the way out of the house and down to the car, Riley and Ivy following behind. They all piled in and Dean drove back to the motel. Once inside Riley started lining the door and windows with salt to stop the ghost if it somehow managed to follow them back to the motel.
Behind her Sam and Dean started asking Ivy questions, trying to figure out what Brian might be linked to, but Ivy still didn't have any answers for them. Finally Dean said, "We are going to have to go back to the house. Once Ivy is there Brian will show his face…"
Riley finished pouring a line of salt across the windowsill and then slammed the container down on the table in pure frustration. "Dean, don't be an idiot!" She turned to face the boys, Dean standing a few feet away from her with his arms crossed and with that irritated look on his face that she loved/hated so much; and Sam was just laying on the bed, staring at the ceiling, letting Riley try to talk some sense into his brother.
Taking a breath Riley continued, speaking slowly like she was talking to a particularly dull-witted child, "We don't use people as bait, especially not little girls who would probably faint at the sight of blood." Ivy was sitting on the second bed and she gave a huff of indignation. Riley rolled her eyes and said, "No offense, Ivy."
Ivy stood up from the bed and planted her hands on her hips. "I'm not as prissy as you think I am." She started but before she could continue Riley held up a hand to stop her and said,
"I'm sure you think you can handle this, but this isn't a movie. This isn't Ghostbusters and just because you can sit through a horror movie doesn't mean you can deal with the real thing. This is real life." Riley ran both of her hands through her hair in frustration. "Your boyfriend is a ghost and he is out to get you. He wants you dead, not hurt, dead. He's gotten your two friends already; you are the last one left." Tears filled Ivy's eyes and her voice wavered when she said,
"This is all so unfair. I wasn't even the one distracting him that night, the accident wasn't my fault!"
Dean spoke up from his spot on the bed, "It doesn't matter if it was your fault or not, Brian decided you were all to blame and now he's getting his revenge." Turning his attention to Riley he said, "You know this is the best plan. We need to find out what is still lying around so we can destroy it and end this son of a bitch. And he's only going to come out if he has a chance at Ivy."
Riley gathered herself up to keep arguing but Sam suddenly sat up and spoke, "He's right Riley." Riley's eyebrows raised in annoyance.
"What?" She asked.
"We don't really have another option and you know it." The three of them all looked at Riley and she sighed in exasperation.
"Fine, have it your way." She picked up the container of salt, closed the lid and tossed it in Dean's duffle. "Okay, let's go back to Ivy's.
Once they were back in Ivy's house they decided to have Ivy sit on her bed, with a ring of salt around the bed to keep her safe. Riley sat with Ivy on the bed and looked around the room. It was the standard popular teenage girl room. It was frilly with cheer trophies and awards on display around the room and the vanity mirror had pictures stuck into the sides. Pictures of dances and beach days and just the day to day life of a pretty teenager. Riley's eyes caught something blue in the closet and she bounced off the bed and flung the doors to the closet all the way open. She stuck her hand in the closet and pulled out the blue dress that she had worn earlier.
"I totally just bought this dress!" Ivy's face lit up, chasing away the sad sober look she had had since Riley had shown up.
"I love that dress! I just got it a couple weeks ago. I remember when I first wore it Brian said..." She trailed off and with that the sad look was back. Riley gave her a sympathetic look, and she knew that it would be a long time before she would wear that dress again, if ever. There were plenty of clothes in her closet that she hadn't worn since her parents died. Some things she had gotten as gifts and some things she had worn to happy family events and she knew that it would just hurt too much to wear them again.
She slipped the dress back into the closet and noticed the Junction High sweatshirt that Ivy had been wearing in the picture. She whipped her head around and looked at the chair that Dean was sitting on in front of the mirror. The same sweatshirt was draped across the backs of the chair. She pulled the sweatshirt fully out of the closet and saw the blood splattered across the front.
"Ivy, is this Brian's?" She asked, silently hoping that she was wrong and that Ivy wasn't about to prove herself to be one of the dumbest people she had ever met.
Ivy nodded. "Yeah."
Riley waited for her to catch on, but when her face remained blank she continued in the same tone she had used on Dean earlier, "and is this his blood?" At that, Sam and Dean snapped to attention. Dean got up from the chair and came over to Riley, pulling the sweatshirt from her grasp. They exchanged a look, Riley rolling her eyes.
"Ivy, was he wearing this the night of the crash?" Dean asked.
Ivy looked a little affronted. "Um, I would have said something if he had been wearing it. It was just sitting in the car with us."
"Oh my God, Ivy, seriously? We asked if there was anything with his blood on it. We need to burn this now." Riley grabbed the small waste basket Ivy had next to the desk. Sam pulled some lighter fluid out of his bag and Dean tossed the sweatshirt into the basket. When she saw what they were about the do, Ivy jumped off the bed to try and stop them. Riley had a second to try and stop her from crossing the salt line but Ivy stepped over the line and in that second all hell broke loose.
Sam, Dean, and Riley were all tossed across the room each hitting the wall in different places. Riley cried out when she hit the wall and felt her left shoulder pop out of the socket. She pushed herself up with her right arm, trying not to gasp from the pain. She looked up and saw Ivy pinned against the wall by Brian's ghost. His hand was around her neck and she was frantically trying to pry his hands loose but her hands just went through his ghost form.
Riley frantically looked around and saw that the basket and the lighter fluid were a few feet away. She crawled painfully over and grabbed the lighter fluid with one hand, her other arm pressed tightly to her chest. She squeezed the bottle, dousing the sweatshirt before tossing the bottle away from her. She looked back over at Ivy and Brian, and Brian now had the shimmery image of a tree branch in his hand and Riley knew that Ivy was seconds way from being impaled.
"Dean!" She called. "The lighter!" A second later Dean was jumping over the bed and landing next to her, knocking her over in the process. She clenched her teeth and tried not to cry out, but a strangled scream managed to force its way out of her mouth. Dean quickly lit the lighter and flung it into the basket, the sweatshirt going up in flames quickly.
Dean wrapped his arm around Riley's waist and lifted them both up. She clung to him with one arm and they turned in time to see Brian's ghost flare out and disappear. Ivy fell to the floor and in a second Sam was beside her. He rolled her over and then called, "She's alive."
Ivy sighed and rested her head against Dean's chest. She gave herself a second to enjoy being close to him, despite the pain in her shoulder before she pulled back. Dean looked down on her for a second, a look in his eyes she couldn't decipher before he stepped away and went over to help Sam with Ivy.
She seemed ok, well maybe not ok, but she wasn't physically hurt. She did look like she was about to have a total freak out over what just happened. Riley walked over to the boys, clutching her shoulder. Sam noticed and asked,
"Riley, are you hurt?" Dean snapped to attention.
"What is it?" He asked.
She took a steadying breath before responding, "My shoulder was dislocated when I hit the wall. One of you two needs to shove it back in."
Dean gestured to Sam, "Sammy should do it. He's done it for me a couple times." Sam nodded and stepped beside her. He looked her in the eye and said,
"Okay, on the count of three. One..." and with a quick motion he popped it back into place.
She wasn't proud of the sound that came out of her mouth or the tears that sprang to her eyes. She opened her eyes wide in an attempt to stop the tears from falling and the boys turned back to helping Ivy so she could get herself together. Now that the shoulder was relocated most of the pain was gone. She rotated her shoulder gently. It was going to be sore for awhile and she was sure there was going to be an impressive bruise but she was going to be fine.
A half hour later they were leaving the house, having finally calmed Ivy down and assuring her everything was over, Brian wasn't coming back. Ivy climbed into the Impala, clutching the ice pack she had pilfered from Ivy's freezer. She caught Dean looking back at her as they pulled away from the house, his eyes narrowing when she adjusted the ice pack. She knew that look.
"Dean, don't you dare. It's not a big deal, you don't have to call..." Was all she got out before suddenly there was another person in the back seat with her.
"Hello, Riley."
She rolled her eyes before responding, "Well hey Castiel. What brings you here?"
The confused look that seemed to be permanently on the angel's face made her smile.
"Dean called me. He said you were in need of healing." His eyes closed in on the ice pack. "You have an injured shoulder."
She feigned surprise. "What? I do?!" She pulled the ice pack off her shoulder and looked at it in mock amazement and winced a little when she moved her shoulder. "Well I'll be damned. I sure do."
She heard Dean's short laugh before he said, "Stop being a smart ass and let the man heal the rest of it."
She turned to Cas and started to tell him that it wasn't necessary, she could deal with a bruise but he had already placed a hand on her shoulder. She felt a flash of heat and then all the pain was gone.
"Well, thanks Cas, but really you didn't have to." She took the ice pack and tossed it at the back of Dean's head. He grabbed it with one hand and flung it back over the seat at her.
"Don't get all pissy Riley, you would have done the same thing if it were Sam or I. I know you can handle the pain but just because you can doesn't mean you have to." Dean said.
Castiel nodded solemnly, "Dean is right. There was no need for you to remain in pain."
Riley rolled her eyes and dropped the ice pack on the seat between herself and Castiel.
Castiel continued, "Sam, Dean, do you have any injuries? I must return to heaven. There are decisions being made that I need to be involved in."
"Nah man, we're fine." Sam replied and a second later the car was back to having just three occupants. Riley flinched a little at the suddenness of his departure.
"I'll never get used to that." She said as they pulled back into the motel. They all climbed out of the car. "I'm going to change and grab dinner from that bar across the street. You guys coming?" They both agreed and ten minutes later they were sitting down in a booth and a waitress carrying a tray of shots tossed a single menu on the table as she walked by.
Riley let Sam and Dean peruse the menu; she knew what she wanted already. When the waitress came back they all ordered. Seeing the looks the waitress and Dean were exchanging she quickly asked to have her cheeseburger to go.
Dean leaned back in the booth and commented, "What, don't want to hang out with us?"
She laughed and replied, "I just don't think I am feeling the bar scene tonight. I'd rather just chill in my room and watch some tv." She kind of hoped Dean would decide to join her but he just nodded in understanding. So when the waitress brought back the food, all the while smiling and laughing with Dean, Riley grabbed her to-go box and hopped out of the booth. She met Sam's eyes for a moment and he gave her a sympathetic look. She just shrugged and gave him a small smile before heading out of the bar and across the street back to her room.
Riley had finished her dinner and was watching a Top Gear marathon, contemplating throwing on her pajamas when there was a knock on the door. She looked through the peep hole and sighed. It was Dean and the waitress. She should have expected this. She pulled open the door and just looked at him. He grinned and did a little head tilt in the waitress' direction. She crossed her arms and said, "Seriously, Dean? I got my own room this time for a reason." He shuffled his feet sheepishly and replied,
"Please? There's two beds and I promise Sam has stopped talking in his sleep."
Sighing heavily, Riley opened the door fully and stepped to the side to let them in. She grabbed her suitcase and stepped outside.
"Thanks Riles, I owe you one!" Dean called as the door swung closed behind her.
"One?" She mumbled, "Try about fifty." She walked across the small parking lot to the room Dean was supposed to be sharing with Sam. She knocked on the door and after a moment she knocked again, harder. The door swung open and a shirtless Sam stood in the doorway. Glancing behind him she saw a blonde, half naked on one of the beds.
"Hey, Riley. What's up?" Sam said with a grin and the same head tilt Dean had just given her.
"Uh, Dean commandeered my room and that bed right there is going to be mine."
Sam shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Oh, uh, I've kind of got a thing going in this room. Maybe you could grab another room? Or crash in the Impala?"
Mouth hanging open, Riley just stared at him. "You want me to sleep in the Impala?" She said incredulously. "Are you kidding me?" Sam started to reply but she just held up her hand, turned around and walked away toward the office. "Sorry hun!" Sam called after her before closing the door.
As Riley stepped into the office, the clerk looked up from her computer, frowned and asked, "Is there a problem with the room?"
"Yeah," She replied. "There's a selfish jerk in mine so I'm going to need one more room." With a laugh, the clerk turned to her computer to find an open room. Suddenly Riley changed her mind. Screw this. She was sick of the boys and their "celebrating" after a successful hunt. She always either ended up sharing a room with whichever brother hadn't managed to talk some idiot girl into coming back with him, or getting another room when they both managed to score. And they didn't seem to notice how much it bothered her. Or, more accurately, why it bothered her. They just assumed it was the hassle of moving her stuff out of a room she'd already made herself comfortable in. She didn't know why she didn't just tell them to go ask for another room themselves, but when Dean asked, she caved. That jackass.
Turning back to the clerk she said, "Scratch that. Could you call me a cab instead?" The clerk nodded and picked up the phone to call the taxi service and Riley pulled out her cell and dialed a number.
"Kennedy? Hey I'm coming home."
Her best friend squealed. "When?!"
"I'm hopping on the first plane out; I'll probably be there in a couple of hours."
"Disneyland tomorrow?!"
Riley laughed. "Yes, Disneyland tomorrow."
"Okay, let me know what time you get in, I'll come get you from the airport."
"Nah, that's okay, I'll probably land in the middle of the night, and I'll just take a cab. I'll see you first thing in the morning." Hearing the honk of the cab outside, Riley hung up the phone, thanked the clerk and left. She managed to get a flight out of Seattle within a half hour of getting to the airport and she'd landed in Orange County just after 11. A twenty minute cab ride later and she was being dropped off in front of a beautiful house on a street lined with palm trees. She paid the driver, pulled out her suitcase and walked up the front steps to the porch.
The cool night air blew softly in her face and she breathed in the smell of the honeysuckle planted around the house. It was good to be home. She hadn't realized how much she had missed it. She stepped up to the front door, pulled out a set of keys and let herself in. She'd slept an hour or two on the plane but she knew as soon as she hit her bed she'd be out.
She walked up the stairs and past the bedroom Kennedy was sleeping in and into her own room. It had been months since she'd been home. She and the boys had been hunting nonstop lately and she hadn't been able to get back home in between jobs. She changed into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt big enough to make the shorts obsolete. She slipped her gun out of her suitcase and slid it into the custom made holster in the headboard. Climbing into bed, she sighed contentedly and was out.
Riley woke in the morning feeling more relaxed than she had in a long time. She could hear Kennedy banging around down in the kitchen, music playing. Riley swung out of bed and danced into the bathroom. She showered and quickly dressed in her standard Disneyland clothes; shorts, her favorite Little Mermaid tank, and her most comfortable sandals. Grinning in the mirror she quickly threw her hair into a ponytail. Stepping back through her bedroom she dug around in her closet for her cinched 2005 Disneyland backpack. She felt a small pinch of sadness remembering that trip. She'd been 18 and she'd gone with her parents and older sister. It was their last vacation together. They'd died a couple months later. Shaking herself to shake off the memory, Riley flitted down the stairs and into the kitchen. She and Kennedy hugged, jumping up and down in excitement. After a quick breakfast they hopped in a cab and twenty minutes later were walking down Mainstreet.
Back in Seattle, Dean finished packing up his gear, took a last spin around the room and spotted a piece of clothing under the bed. Bending down he picked it up. It was Riley's sweatshirt. She must have dropped it before he barged in on her. He felt a twinge of guilt; he knew it was kind of a dick move asking for her room to hook up with some girl, especially since he'd been getting the feeling lately that it was more than just the inconvenience that bothered her, but he'd been just drunk enough to ignore the feeling. Tossing the sweater over his shoulder, Dean left the room and strode over to the Impala. Tossing his stuff in the back seat, and the sweater with it, he went to grab Sammy and Riley.
He made it to Sam's door just as it opened and Sam let out the girl Dean had seen him chatting with when he left the bar the night before. He nodded to her and stepped into the room. Sam returned Dean's grin, raising his eyebrows.
"Nice one, bro." He glanced behind Sam at the two beds. One looked like a tornado had blown through it and the other was still perfectly made. "Where's Riley?" He asked.
"I think she got another room last night. Dude she was pissed that you booted her out of her room. And I don't think I made it any better by suggesting she sleep in the Impala." Sam raised his shoulders guiltily when Dean just stared at him disbelievingly. "Dude, I was drunk, what can I say?"
Sighing Dean sat down on the clean bed and pulled out his phone while Sam finished packing up his stuff. He pulled up Riley's number and sent her a text. "Hey, where are you? We're just about ready to head out." A minute later he got a reply.
"No fucking way."
"What?" Dean turned the screen of his phone toward Sam and he looked at the picture Riley had sent. It was her in a Little Mermaid shirt in front of Splash Mountain with her friend Kennedy, who was flipping off the camera.
"She went home?" Sam exclaimed. "Why?"
Dean dialed her number and as it rang he replied. "She probably got sick of our shit, man."
Riley's phone rang and she looked at the caller ID, even though she knew who it would be. "It's Dean."
"Answer it girl, get it over with."
Sighing Riley hit answer. "Hi Dean." She stood up from the bench near splash mountain and walked away from the crowds of people to a relatively clear area.
His voice came over the line. "You went home?" Sitting down on another bench, Riley sighed, "Yeah. Dean, I need a break. It's too much."
"Hey, I know we've been hunting a lot lately. Not a lot of time between jobs. But you didn't have to disappear in the middle of the night. You know we're heading to Bobby's for a little break. You didn't have to go all the way to California."
Riley took a deep breath. It was time to get it out. "Dean, I don't need a break from hunting, I need a break from you."
After a pause Dean replied cautiously, "What do you mean?"
"Don't do that Dean; don't pretend that you don't know how I feel about you. How I feel when you hook up with someone in every town we go through. I've tried to just push it aside, tried to make myself let it go but it's not working." Dean didn't say anything so she kept going. "I need a break from you. Seeing you every day is too hard. It hurts." Her voice cracked and she took a steadying breath before continuing. "I'm going to stay here for a couple of weeks, get myself together. And then I'll meet up with you guys wherever you happen to be. I don't want to give up hunting with you guys because you know we make a damn good team, I just need a little time."
Dean finally spoke up. "Riley, I…I don't know what to say. I'm sorry." A tear slipped down Riley's cheek and she wiped it away. "Me too." She whispered and hung up the phone. Kennedy came and sat down next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.
"You did the right thing. You both needed to lay it out on the table so you can move past it." Riley nodded.
"He didn't lay anything out." She replied.
"One step at a time honey, you getting this off your chest was the first step. I don't know if you are ready to hear what he has to say. It's enough right now that you told him. Now cheer up buttercup, I see Pooh coming our way and I really think that we should trip him this time." Riley laughed and for the second time that day she shook off her sadness and smiled at her best friend.
"You're right. Okay, let's stop this emotional crap and go have fun."
Dean stood up and shoved his phone back in his pocket.
"Well?" asked Sam, "Is she coming back?"
"She'll meet up with us in a couple weeks."
"What else did she say?"
"I'm not going to talk about it Sammy, so just drop it now." Dean replied walking out the door, heading for the Impala. He wasn't sure what he was feeling. He'd never tried to sort out all the feelings he had when he was around Riley. Anytime he his thoughts went in that direction, he made himself stop, telling himself he couldn't go there, not with her.
Sometimes he felt like she was the little sister he never wanted, and other times, when they had just finished a tough job, when he threw his arm around her shoulders and she fit perfectly against his side, he couldn't stop himself from wondering what would happen if he leaned down that little bit and pressed his lips to hers when she tilted her head back to smile up at him. But he never acted on it, just pulled her a little closer for a moment and smiled back down on her before pulling away and making some crack about whatever monster they had just fought, brought the mood back to a just friends place.
But even after a rough fight, when she had blood in her hair and dirt on her face, it always struck him like lightning. She was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen. And it wasn't just her face, and her damn smoking body. It was the way she took care of business. He knew she had his back in a fight, just like he knew his brother had his back. And he always had hers, always would. And he would be damned, again, if he let this break them. She said she wanted time, and he'd give her some. But only long enough for him to drop Sam at a bus station or an airport to get him back to Bobby's. But then he was going to her, and he was going to say everything he couldn't say over the phone. Because he was finally starting to realize one thing, he loved her. And that fact rocked him to his core. He was going to risk everything to have a chance at this. No more excuses.
Dean pulled the Impala into Riley's driveway and killed the engine. They might say it was Riley's house but he and Sam had stayed here so many times that, next to Bobby's, he considered this house home. They even had their own rooms. They weren't guest rooms, they were their own. It's where they went between jobs when the three of them needed a break. He stepped out of the car and was about to knock when the door opened and Kennedy stopped short of running into him. She crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe, every inch of her just bursting with irritation at him. Dean threw on his most charming grin,
"Hey Kennedy, long time, no see."
"That stupid look doesn't work on me and you know it. What do you want, Dean?" She asked. "I'm pretty sure she said she needed some time."
Dean sighed and replied, "Just leave it alone Kennedy, I need to talk to her."
They heard a car honk behind them and they both turned to look. Recognizing the car, Kennedy sighed and said, "You're lucky I'm leaving for the night otherwise I would be kicking your ass six ways from Sunday right this second." She picked up the duffle bag she had dropped when she'd opened the door. "But I'm warning you Dean, if she calls me crying later tonight, I'm going to kill you." Brushing past him she continued over her shoulder, "Don't crush her anymore than you already have."
Dean stepped into the house and closed the door behind him. He followed the familiar path to the kitchen and stopped dead when he saw her. She had her back to him and she was obviously about to go out. She was wearing a little black dress that hugged her curves in a way that made him swallow hard and try to stay focused. His eyes followed the length of her body and he had to smile at her shoes. He remembered how excited she'd been when she had gotten them. They were sky high and the heel was made of silver. So they were sexy as hell and a weapon to boot.
His eyes went back up her body and focused on her hair. It was a mess of curls and was swept back from her face. He knew when she turned around he would have an unobstructed view of her eyes. He was always amazed by her eyes. Long lashes and the color, man, the color. A bright blue green around the outside and a hazel around the pupil. A man could get lost in those eyes. She turned around and suddenly he was staring right into those eyes.
For a moment all they did was stare. Riley looked away first and then back at him, a frustrated look on her face.
"What are you doing here?" She finally blurted. "I meant it when I said I needed time. Two days isn't going to cut it Dean."
"I know but…" He was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. "Are you expecting someone?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. A stupid question considering how she looked, but he asked it just the same.
She studied him for a moment and sighed, "Yes, I have a date." This time both of his eyebrows shot up. She walked past him and out of the kitchen towards the front door. Dean followed. "A date? Are you serious?"
"Of course I'm serious." She snapped. "Kennedy set me up because she was sick of me whining about you."
Dean followed her to the door and planted himself behind her where the guy would see him. Riley swung open the door and the guy smiled huge when he saw her but the smile faltered when he noticed Dean. Looking back at Riley he asked,
"Uh, hey. Am I early?" Riley smiled up at him and replied,
"No, you are right on time." Grabbing her clutch from the small table next to the door with one hand, she gestured between the two men with the other. "Chase, Dean. Dean, Chase." Chase held out his hand and Dean uncrossed his arms and quickly shook his hand before stepping back again.
"Dean's an old family friend. He's passing through town and crashing here tonight." Dean flinched when she said friend but Chase was visibly relieved.
"Oh, well, nice to meet you Dean." Dean managed to nod his head in acknowledgement before turning to Riley and saying, "Have a good night. I'll be here when you get back." She nodded stiffly and followed Chase back to his car.
"Nice Prius man." Dean called. He tried not to say it sarcastically but he didn't quite pull it off.
Chase looked unsure but said thanks as he held the door open for Riley, who shot Dean a warning look before stepping into the car. Dean watched them drive down the street before stepping back into the house and shutting the door behind him. He went back into the kitchen and opened the fridge. Thankfully there were a couple beers still shoved in the back from the last time he and Sam had stayed here.
He cracked open a can and sat down on one of the stools around the kitchen island and tried to figure out what he was going to say when Riley got back from her date. He must have been out of his mind when he was telling himself he didn't have feelings for her. He took a swig from the can and tried to ignore the jealousy he felt that this random chump was out with Riley.
He didn't know what she was thinking agreeing to go out with some average Joe anyways. He was so obviously beneath her. And what were they even going to talk about? Riley was one of the best hunters Dean had ever worked with and this guy didn't even look like he could handle anything more intense than fishing! She wasn't going to be able to tell him anything real about herself. She can't be herself with this person. He shouldn't have even let her go, what was the point? He was going to tell her how he felt and she was going to be with him, right? She wouldn't have changed her mind in the last couple of days. He'd tell her how he felt and everything would work out. Finishing the beer, he cracked open another one and walked out to the living room. He settled down on the couch to wait for Riley. And he hoped to God he wasn't too late.
Back in the car with Chase, Riley couldn't really concentrate on whatever he was talking about. She couldn't stop thinking about why Dean was here. Her imagination was running wild. She tried to stop herself from hoping he was here to tell her that he felt the same as she did. She kept telling herself that he probably just had a job he needed her help with. But he could have called her for that right? He wouldn't have driven all the way here, without Sam, just to ask her to come on a hunt.
Riley suddenly noticed that Chase had stopped talking.
"I'm sorry, what?" Riley asked, embarrassed that she had been so lost in thought she hadn't noticed that Chase had stopped talking.
He chuckled before asking, "That Dean guy isn't just an old family friend is he?"
Riley's embarrassment deepened, and all she could do is shake her head.
"Do you know why he's here?"
"I'm kind of thinking it has something to do with his job, but I feel like he could have just called me with something like that. So I don't really know." Even to her own ears she sounded frustrated.
Chase checked his review mirror and pulled a u-turn at the next light.
"What are you doing?" Riley asked.
"Look, I know this is probably none of my business, and correct me if I'm wrong, but you seem to have feelings for this guy. You've been fidgety this whole ride and you pretty much haven't heard a single thing I've said." Riley stayed silent and he glanced over at her before turning his attention back to the road. "I'll take that as a yes. I don't think either of us would have a very good time tonight if you are going to be thinking about this guy the whole time."
Riley sighed, "Chase, I'm sorry. You're right. It's killing me that I don't know what he's doing here. I wouldn't be the best company tonight."
Chase chuckled again as they pulled back into Riley's driveway, stopping beside the Impala, and said, "Hey, don't worry about it. Obviously I'm bummed I won't have the pleasure of your company tonight. But I honestly don't mind."
"Sorry again." Riley said, "And thanks." She stepped out of the car and climbed the steps to the porch. She waved and stepped back into the house. She set her purse back on the table and headed in to find Dean. She found him in the living room. Dean looked up when she walked in, a puzzled look on his face. She kicked off her heels and sat down on the couch next to him. She reached over and took a swig from Dean's beer and handed it back before asking, "Dean, why are you here?"
He took another swig and set the can down on the coffee table and started talking. He stared down at his clenched hands and talked about how he'd always just looked at her as a friend, but only because to admit he felt anything else would cause problems, he didn't want to love her only to lose her. Sam was the only constant in his life, no one else had ever stuck around. They'd all left, some voluntarily, most not. Riley knew how that felt, Kennedy was the only one left from her childhood, and she was terrified that she would lose her one day too, which is why she had never told her about what she really did for a living and why she was always traveling.
Dean paused, and in the silence Riley swore she could hear her heart pounding like a drum. Dean reached over and took one of her hands in both of his; he looked up into her eyes then back down at their hands. "But when you told me how you felt, I couldn't deny it anymore and when you left it nearly drove me crazy. Just that little bit of time without you almost killed me." Riley let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding and Dean looked up into her eyes and this time he didn't look away. He lifted one hand and gently cradled her face, rubbing his thumb across her cheek. "Riley, you know how crazy our lives are. Every single day something can reach in and tear us apart. There is pain and blood and nightmares every day. But you make it seem so much easier. Even when you're stitching me up or Sam is popping your shoulder back into place."
"Riley, I'm in." With that he leaned in and pressed his lips softly against hers. She closed her eyes and gave herself over to the kiss. She'd imagined it so many times but she'd never thought it would actually happen.
She'd imagined it so many times but she'd never thought it would actually happen. There was a lot of evil in this world, she thought to herself as Dean picked her up and carried her to her bedroom, and she had experienced a lot of it but if every bad thing she had ever experienced had led to this moment, this night with Dean, she'd live through them all over again just for this. And it would be worth it.
The next morning Riley woke curled into Dean's body, his arm wrapped protectively around her and her head resting on his chest. She couldn't stop the huge smile that appeared on her face when she saw his sleeping face. Dean carried a lot of responsibility with him, a lot left over from his crazy dad, but when he was asleep all of that drifted away and she thought it took years off his face.
She pressed a kiss to his shoulder and untangled herself from Dean and the mess of blankets. She paused by the side of the bed, a blush coming to her cheeks when she remember all that had taken place the night before. Another grin crossed her face as she quietly tip toed into the bathroom, quietly shutting the door behind her then hopping into the shower.
Once out of the shower she dried off and wrapped herself in her plush bath towel before stepping back into the bedroom. Dean wasn't in the bedroom but a second later he came back into the room. He'd gone to his bedroom and pulled on a pair of sweatpants. He stopped in the doorway and leaned against the frame, his arms crossed against his bare chest, just staring at her.
She self consciously ran her fingers through her still wet hair before blurting,
"What?"
He shook his head with a grin, "Nothing, just looking at you."
And there was that smile that had been following her around since she woke up. She crossed the room, stopping just in front of him.
"What?" He asked.
Happiness filled her voice when she replied softly, "Nothing, just looking at you."
He uncrossed his arms and stepped forward, eliminating the small amount of space that had been between them. She wrapped her arms around his waist and he cupped her face in his hands. The same smile she had been seeing in the mirror crossed his face before he slowly brought his face down to hers.
Just before things started to get interesting again, Riley heard the front door swing open and as it shut she heard Kennedy bound up the stairs. Riley pulled away from Dean with a sigh and she stepped out into the hall to meet her friend.
"Please tell me you got laid last night, because I really think that hooking up with that hottie Chase would be really good for you and..." She trailed off when she noticed Dean standing in the middle of the room. Her eyes flicked to the bed, the blankets strewn everywhere, then to Dean without his shirt and then back to Riley in her towel.
"Excuse us for a minute." Kennedy said with a smile before dragging Riley down the hall into her bedroom, shutting the door behind her.
"You dirty little slut!" She yelled, punching her in the shoulder.
"What the heck!" Riley said back. "Just a second ago you basically said you wanted me to have a one night stand with a stranger!"
"Yeah, well, whatever." She said lamely.
"Ooo, good one." Riley replied with a laugh.
Kennedy's face sobered up. "But seriously, are you ok? Is this for real or is he just going to leave you behind like everyone else? Because if that is his plan then I am going to kick his ass."
"It's legit, Kennedy." Riley said softly. "We talked it all out last night, finally got everything out on the table and I really think this is going to happen for real." She smiled at the thought, finally what she had wanted for such a long time had happened and for once she was optimistic about her happiness, something she hadn't felt in a really long time.
Kennedy saw it on her face and her smile mirrored Riley's. "Well then I am spectacularly happy for you!" She squealed, pulling her into a hug. The two bounced up and down happily for a moment before pulling apart, laughing as Riley got a grip on the towel that was threatening to come undone.
"I better go get dressed."
"Yeah ok, and I better go pack another bag."
Riley frowned, "You just got back, why are you leaving again?"
"Are you kidding?" Kennedy asked with a laugh. "You two finally hooked up, there is no way that I am going to stay in this house and have to wear ear plugs to bed so I don't have to listen to you two!"
Riley blushed and replied, "Alright, fine. But come back tomorrow because we probably aren't going to stay too long, the job waits for no one."
Kennedy gave her the same look she always gave her when she talked about her and Dean's "job". "One of these days you are going to have to tell me what it is you guys actually do because I am still not buying the whole archeologist story. I would bet a million bucks Dean has never seen a fossil in his life."
Riley smothered her laughter, if she only knew.
Kennedy shoved Riley from the room and Riley went back into her own room. She heard the shower going in the bathroom so she stepped into her closet and contemplated the contents. She finally settled on a pair of skinny jeans, knee high boots, and a thin maroon colored tunic sweater. She left her bedroom and went down to the kitchen where Kennedy was making breakfast.
She gave her a wicked smile before saying, "I thought I would make you guys breakfast since I'm sure you had quite the work out last night." Riley laughed and replied, "Yeah, I am pretty sure I pulled muscles I didn't know I had!" They both burst out laughing and once she got control over herself she pulled a glass from the cabinet and made herself her morning chai. She was about to sit down on one of the stools when she heard a phone ringing in the living room. She recognized the ring tone, it was Sam calling Dean's phone.
She set her glass down on the counter and stepped into the living, jumping over the couch and landing on the cushions. She grabbed the phone from the side table and answered it.
"Hey Sam, what's up?" She asked casually.
"Hey Riley, we've got a problem."
"What's up? Where are you?" She asked.
"I just got to Bobby's, and he isn't here. The house is trashed and there is blood in the kitchen, it has to be Bobby's. You and Dean need to get out here."
"Of course, we'll leave now. If Dean and I switch off driving we'll be there by this time tomorrow. Do you want to talk to Dean?" She was already off the couch and bounding up the stairs while she asked.
"Yeah, give him the phone." Dean was stepping out of the bedroom, dressed in his usual jeans and plaid. She held out the phone, "It's Sam, something's happened to Bobby. I'll pack." A flash of fear crossed Dean's face before it was masked by his usual I'm going to kill someone face.
"Talk to me Sammy." He followed her into the bedroom, shutting the door behind him. She listened to Dean's side of the conversation while she quickly pulled clothes from her closet, basically packing up everything she had just unpacked a few days ago. She stepped into the bathroom and grabbed everything she needed from there and rushing back to her bed. She shoved everything in the suitcase and zipped it up.
She passed Dean, briefly squeezing his arm as she stepped out of the bedroom and into Dean's room. His stuff was pretty much all still in his duffle. She swapped some shirts out and pulled some other clean clothes from his closet before tossing the duffle over her shoulder and stepping back into the hall. Dean was carrying out her suitcase.
"Ready?" He asked, holding out his hand for the duffle.
"Yeah, let's go." Dean carried their things out to the car and Riley went back into the kitchen to tell Kennedy they were leaving.
Kennedy started to say something but stopped when she saw the look on Riley's face.
"What happened? Who was on the phone?'
"It was Sam. Their uncle had a heart attack to we are heading to South Dakota to see him."
"Oh my God, is he going to be ok?"
"We don't know yet, so we've got to leave now." For a second she let herself feel the fear that had been nagging at her from the second Sam had told her Bobby was missing. Bobby was like a Dad to the boys and in the few years that she had been hunting with Sam and Dean he had taken her in too, she didn't know what they would all do if they didn't find him alive.
"Of course, don't worry about anything here." Kennedy said, pulling her into a quick hug.
Riley squeezed her tight for a moment before stepping back, "I never do." And she never would. She and Dean had spent a weekend warding the house against any supernatural creature or entity they knew of. Of course, there was always the threat of something completely normal like a burglar, so she had also installed a security system, there were locks on all the doors and windows, and she had spent some time teaching Kennedy to shoot a gun.
She rushed from the house and jumped into the Impala, sliding over into the middle seat next to Dean. The second she shut the door Dean flashed out of the driveway. She pulled on her seat belt as Dean burned rubber down the street.
She looked over at Dean's face. He was trying to hold it together; she could see the struggle on his face. She reached over and grabbed his hand. She gasped when his hand tightened painfully around hers but he quickly loosened his grip.
"Sorry, babe." He said, bringing her hand up and pressing a quick kiss against it. She knew that the situation was pretty serious, but that little move sent a thrill through her. She couldn't believe how everything had changed in such a short time. Dean turned onto the freeway and hit the gas, every mile bringing them closer to Bobby's, both unsure of what they would find. But one thing they were both sure of, whatever had hurt their family, was going to die.