Blame it on Singer

by Dgray3994

What happens when two of the best hunters in the world, ei Sam and Dean, meet one of the best cryptozoologist/hunting on the east coast? A LOT, that's what happens and mostly, it's all Bobby Singers fault. Bobby points Sam in Gwen Bancroft's direction when things aren't adding up on a hunt, but leave it to Dean to find an old frenemy on the same hunt. Gwen's partner, Jai Lancing.

1. Section One: Redcaps

Chapter One

Jai

The sound of the silverware clanking against the old glass dishes nearly drowned out the annoying chatter of conversations that filled the diner, but it was the nasally sound of the waitress that approached asking if I needed yet another refill of my already full cup that had me grinding my teeth. To top that all off, I could hear the stifled laughter of the woman on the other end of the phone.

Putting down the knife and fork in my hand, abandoning the French Toast that sat soaking on the plate in front of me, I picked up the cup of coffee and took as much of it down as I could without burning a hole through my esophagus. It had been a very long twelve hour drive and an even longer day collecting evidence that brought me to this exact point, which was discussing the case over a long-distance call with my partner-in-crime.

"Not funny, Gwen." I growled as I put the cup down and readjusted the bluetooth earpiece before I picked up the fork again. "It's crowded, noisy, and smells funny, but I'm starving and it's the only halfway decent place to eat in this small shitcan of a town. So, can we get back onto the who-done-it so I can get out of here?"

"First off," her humored voice chuckled in my ear, "you have been in a lot of other places that smelled worse than that, I'm sure. Secondly, what does it smell like… exactly?"

"Trust me, if you want to keep that dollar burrito down, you won't ask again." I smirked, not that she could see it, and took a bite of the toast. "So, you got the coroner reports and the photos I sent, are we still on track for what this little beastie might be?"

"Don't mock my dinner, it's called living economically. As for our wee beastie… it's a Redcap."

I nearly choked on the piece of bread in my mouth before I quickly took a sip of coffee. "Excuse me? What the hell is an English goblin doing in Wisconsin?"

"The hell if I know, but that's what it is. According to the lore, you are chasing down a Redcap, end of story."

I sat back in the seat, glanced down at the phone on the table and sighed. "So, tell me how to kill this thing." And just my luck, that was the moment the waitress walked by and sucked in a deep, shocked breath, while she looked at me in terror. I blinked at her once and licked my lips. "I have rats, fucking huge rats. I'm on the phone with the exterminator." She only nodded quickly and walked away. Great, she thinks I'm psycho. I grabbed a twenty from my pocket, drank the last of the coffee and hauled ass out of that place. Looks like I'm McDee-ing it for the rest of my time in God-only-knows-where cheese country. "Talk to me, Gwen, any leads on where I might find said hobgoblin?"

"Redcaps like to waylay travelers so you're probably going to find them somewhere off the beaten path, a spot where he can draw unsuspecting people in and keep it on the downlow."

"So, a literal bed and breakfast?" I slipped into the old Cavalier that I had picked up along the way and jammed the key into the ignition. "What kind of out of the way place are we talking about? Woodsy backroad or wide open, American Gothic?"

"Definitely woodsy backroad. You're close to Devil's Lake, right?"

"Yeah, Baraboo… why you got something?" I didn't pull out of the parking lot but waited on Gwen to come up with something better than a woodsy backroad because I've seen "The Hills Have Eyes" and I am NOT going to be someone's dinner.

"I might… where are you staying?"

"You're kidding right? I've been in town a whole of six hours before I called you. I haven't been able to grab a place." I rubbed my forehead, just above my eyes hoping to get rid of the headache that threatened to make me crawl under the covers and turn off the lights.

"I found a motel near the sight of the disappearances. You could always stay there." I rubbed my head just a little bit harder as I shook it, yep, definitely someone's dinner. "It's called Devil's Lake Motel and Cabins."

"Nope, not ominous at all!" I let out a huff. "Great, must be Thursday."

"What did you expect, the Four Seasons?"

"HA! Yeah, when was the last time we went higher than three stars?"

"Three stars?" She snickered at me, and I only say snickered because it wasn't a real laugh, "I like my motels like I like my Netflix horror movies. One star or less!" I rolled my eyes, not that she could see, put the car in drive and headed off to the right, following the GPS. "Listen, Jai, try to at least be polite, I know it's not your style, but you can't tip it off that you're a hunter. So, BE a TOURIST."

"Fun times!"

Devil's Lake Motel and Cabins was set back in the woods off the beaten path just a few blocks up from the Route 136 and 12 cross section. The two-story, burnt sienna colored building with bright red doors would have definitely stuck out in my head even if it wasn't for the God-awful yellow sign that signaled my arrival.

I think I needed a drink before I even pulled into the driveway. I parked the Cavalier and walked up the office door, which was situated in the basement of what was probably the owners house. The annoying bell above the door clattered back at me as it closed and an ornery old man walked out from the back.

"Can I help you?" Ah, he sounded like he had smoked about four packs a day since birth, but the smell was even worse.

"I need a single please." I tried to smile, but I think I frowned instead.

"$135 cash." he bit back and held his hand out. I held back the urge to roll my eyes, yanked my wallet out of my coat pocket and took out the credit card with the name Jeannette Cooper before handing it to him. "Cash."

"Yeah, sorry," I stuffed the card away and yanked the seven $20 bills out of the bi-fold and handed it to him. "Been a long drive, y'know, heard this place was a good stop along the road."

"Are you just passing through?" He questioned, but there wasn't a genuinely curious note in that whole sentence. It was more of a "so I know when to start the water boiling for supper" kind of tone. Dude gave me the creeps.

"Ah, yeah, headed out to Sioux Falls to visit a cousin of mine. She's a sheriff out that way, but I'm exhausted. A friend recommended stopping here since I was coming through." I couldn't believe the crap that I was spouting and let me tell you, if that cousin of mine ever saw my face again, she was bound to lock me up or salt and burn me.

"You're traveling alone?" Again, not curious or concerned, and damn, heebee-jeebees. I had to get out of there quick.

"Life of an artist, right, gotta go where the money is." I grinned, and opened my hand on the counter, looking for my five and keys.

He plunked down an old hotel key and a $5 bill before he nodded out the door. "Room 213, second floor, left side."

"Thanks," and you will never see me exit a building faster than I did at that very moment. I hit the button on my bluetooth, connecting to the last caller and listened as Gwen picked up. Without waiting for her to say anything, I snapped. "YOU are the hunter next time. Seriously, I feel dirty and just need to shower and I've only been in the office. What the FUCK am I doing here again? And remind me to really kick Uncle Bobby in the nads next time I see him because this is some screwed up shit."

"Calm down, Tiny Dancer. Geez, gonna give yourself a coronary. It can't be that bad." She laughed... the fucker just laughed. "I would have went with you if I thought I would have any service for my equipment and you know I have a lot of stuff. And, you're there to find the Redcap."

"I think I already did," I sighed, unlocked the door of room 213 on the second floor left and stopped dead in my tracks. "Oh, HELL no!"

"What? You okay? What?" Gwen practically screamed in my ear.

I dropped the back and let the door close behind me. "There is a Coca-cola bedspread and pillow cases. Why would someone do this? What possesses someone to decorate in soda products?"

"Maybe it's a sponsorship deal."

"Shut up!" I huffed and sat down on the edge of the single bed. "Anyway, like I was saying, I think I found the thing? The guy at the front counter just hit me the wrong way."

"Describe him to me."

"We doing police line-up or average Joe shake down?"

"Really, give me a damn description."

"Five-five, thin, like boney, balding, sounded like he was on his last lung and his voice… it was like my Grandfather's, all gristly and stuff." I shrugged, but paused in my thoughts to take in a deep breath. "Huh."

"Yeah, that sounds like what we're looking for."

"Hey, what does it say about smells?" Weird question right, but I had my reasons, especially as I sat up and looked around trying to pinpoint where the copper tang in the air was coming from.

"I don't know, dried blood maybe? I mean it does soak it's cap in the blood of it's victims."

Making my way through the room, the scent was stronger along the back and side wall, closest to the next room, but there was another thought in my head at that same time. "Scent rises, kind of like heat."

"Eww."

"Seriously, G, I think I might have found something." I grabbed the key, took my lockpick kit and headed out the door. The parking lot was empty, the sounds around me were only the ones that came from the forest and I was on my way down to 113, the room just below mine.

Picking the lock was easy, getting in the door, easier, but getting slapped in the face by the smell of death nearly had me puking. I gagged several times before I was able to pull my shirt up over my nose, blocking it just a bit and I moved towards the back of the room.

"Ugh, I will never get used to the smell of decomp."

"That's not something you should get used to. What the hell are you doing?"

"Room below me is covered in death stench, like they just recently removed a body, but I can't pinpoint it, it's just… everywhere." I shivered and stood in the middle of the room. "You need to tell me more about this… whatever the hell goblin I'm chasing before I become lunch."

"They don't eat you… they just kill you and use you for fingerpainting, it fuels their magic."

"You know what, Bancroft, screw you and your magical cryptos. I'm going back upstairs for a nap." And with that, I headed out the door and back up the stars, but as I entered the room once again I was stunned awake once more. "Oh my God, this place is just fucking creepy!" I had temporarily forgotten about the sponsorship program that was going on in my room, so I took a deep breath and sat down at the table. "What's our timeline look like? I mean, when do they strike? I gave this guy some pretty tempting bait, how long before he takes it?"

"They're more opportunistic, there's no real timeline so I would just try not to get caught alone."

"Perfect and here I am… ALONE."

"They just can't let their cap dry out so by the sounds of the room below, you've got some time."

"All by myself…" I sang in a muffled voice as I moved over to the bed and laid down with my feet on the floor. "Don't wanna be all by myself…. Anymore."

"Please, never do karaoke."

"So, I'm good for today, I'm gonna catch an hour, then maybe head out and search around. I might have gotten away with the coroner's office and the sheriffs department but I need to scout the area." I stared at the ceiling and tapped my fingers on my stomach as I thought aloud. "Any other lore I should know of in the area? Like lake monsters or bigfoot or something?"

"Funny you should mention that..."

"Oh, give me a break…"

"There's a lot of lore in the Devil's Lake region, but right now we have to concentrate on the crypto you're chasing not the ones that have been there forever."

"Great, new plan, next time I stay home and feed the cats and you go on one of Uncle Bobby's massively stupid hunting trips."

"Hey, got another call coming in, try to get some sleep and call me when you decide to head out. I wanna know what you're looking at."

I glanced around as she spoke and shivered. "I think I'm just going to drug myself, it's the only way I'm sleeping in here without help of the tall and muscular kind." I let out a sigh and grabbed my phone from my coat. "Talk at ya later."

"Yeah, bye." She was always for quick and easy, so there was no pomp and circumstance to hanging up the phone either and suddenly I was thrust into the silence of the old motel room.

This was going to be so much fun.

Chapter Two

Gwen

So, two things happened at once, Jai hung up and my hunter's cell rang. Stupid phone, stupid calls… stupid Bobby, because it wasn't his number that popped up on the line, it was one I didn't recognize and I hated to talk on the phone, Bobby knew this, but if someone had this number, it had to be important. Still, why couldn't they text like a normal person?

REDCAPS! Outside Europe? Excite! I was practically buzzing with it, but there wasn't anything more I could do with it until Jai was up and moving around. I was pretty sure she had our guy… thing? Guy-thing? Anyway, I was pretty positive this would be over by the morning and she could head home, or out to Bobby's whichever was faster for her. Things on the last hunt hadn't ended well but when Bobby called, there was no way she was going to say no. The man had saved her life, and mine, way too many times to leave him hanging.

Hunting was a Jai thing, she loved the thrill of the chase, unless it was her being chased, then that was a completely different story, but me, I prefered to stay behind my laptop and research. It was just safer that way. For both of us. I didn't mind the cryptos but the ghost children, shudder, those things were fucking scary. That was the last time I had hunted with the likes of Jai Lancing, at least out in the field part, I still drove around with her, tramping across the country to one hunt or another, but we usually stayed in the Northeast, Bobby had other boys that could take care of the rest of it.

Which brings me to the phone… again. Stupid phone! Annoyed, I hit the accept then the speaker. "Password."

"Grizzly bears." The smile in his voice was almost contagious, like the prospect of learning something new made him perky and optimistic, I already didn't like him, but the deep voice was intriguing and he knew the password.

"Okay, so you know Bobby Singer, what can I do for you?" I didn't really need to be friendly, did I?

"Yeah, so," he cleared his throat, "my name is Sam Winchester, and Bobby said you might be able to help me with something. He said to tell you he would have never given me this number if it wasn't important but you were the only one he could think of that might know what we're dealing with."

"If you really knew Bobby, he would really know me, so I know he gave you something besides the password."

I could hear him laugh on the other end, like a silent laugh that he held back on. "Um, he said… you're never going to find your Lancelot playing on the computer."

Yeah, Bobby never really understood the bonding over World of Warcraft, but then again, he was Bobby.

"Okay, so you're legit, what can I help you with, Sam Winchester?" Hey, straight and to the point, I had stuff to do. It's kind of my thing.

"My brother, Dean, and I are on a case in Wisconsin and we could use some info. Bobby gave us some rough details but we can't seem to find a legitimate pattern or an actual creature involved. I know just about everything there is to know about what mythology is connected to that area, but I'm coming up with jack on what this one could possibly be."

Wisconsin? This can't be a coincidence, but I wasn't going to tell him that. I didn't know this hunter from a hole in the wall and Jai was out there alone, so… the only thing I could do was push some info on him and let the two Winchester brothers ride it out on their own. Winchester? The only one I really knew was John.

"What do you got for detail, or more to the point, what did Bobby tell you? Because he isn't going to send you out on a goose chase." That man so owed me chicken wings for this one.

"So, I've got the mutilated bodies of five people, two locals, a couple of hikers, and one trucker that happened to be passing through Baraboo, all over the course of a month."

"That's not a lot to go on, could be grizzlies." Hey, my other option was moose, but I'm not going to throw that at him. Moose are scary.

"We ruled out wild animal attacks. Got the coroner reports," of course, they did, "looks like there isn't anything missing, so we've ruled out weres, shifters, and ghouls. No poison, so Djinn are crossed off the list, and while there was a lot of blood unaccounted for, there was also a lot of carnage, so that might explain the missing fluids."

Ew, fluids… shudder!

"I need something more specific, like the area, maybe where the hikers were staying, or where the trucker last had dinner. Details, Sam, details."

"Right," he scoffed, but it seemed to have humor behind it. "Hey, Dean!" his voice seemed to get deeper as he yelled for his brother, "DEAN!" there was a pause on the line, "hey, hand me that folder." I listened to the baritone voice in the background. "Ow! Jerk! I said hand it to me, not give me a black eye with it. Christ!"

"What?" I couldn't help but burst out laughing, "how do you get a black eye from a folder?"

"He rolled it up." Sam stated flatly and cleared his throat. "Ah... okay, here… looks like the two hikers were staying at a motel near Devil's Lake, the couple had a summer house not a half a mile from those same cabins and the trucker…" pause again, he wasn't really well organized, was he? "Yeah, the trucker had checked into one of the cabins on the same property."

God, I was pretty sure Jai had text me this information within five minutes of stepping foot in the town and here I was listening to this kid… probably a kid, because who the hell is that unorganized? I blame Bobby. Anyway, Jai had this shit down and Bobby wanted me to help these clowns? Jai knew not to give me this half-assed information, what was I supposed to do with these guys?

"So, same property, got it. Can you send me the reports? I want to know the volume of blood left in the body. If you've ruled out all of those, then it has to be something you don't normally see. Take a picture of it and send it to me, use a scanner app, email it, whatever you got to do. If you need something, I can recommend it."

"No," again with the smile in his voice, was he high? "I think I got it, I'll take a picture and send it to this number."

"Great, give me a bit to look it over and I can call you right back."

"Thanks, Gwen."

"MMhmm," and that was it, I hung up.

Sitting back in the chair, I heard my phone beep, not the one that I just got off of, but the one attached to Jai. It went off three more times before I picked it up.

Jai: I can't.

Jai: I'm going to be up all night now.

Jai: Goddamn! I just want soda.

Jai: Bubbles!

Oh, great! Now, she's on drugs. I wonder if they served the original stuff, from 1886, you know the one with the cocaine in it. That would explain how he gets his victims. Share a Coke with… well, who wants to be his next meal? CRAP! Should I tell Jai about the hunters? Should I tell the hunters about Jai? This could be bad. Best to air on the side of caution. Well, text it is.

Gwen: okay, crazy girl, you may have some company.

Jai: Wonderful, someone to share a Coke with?

I really hated when she did that… the whole read your thoughts thing.

Gwen: Yeah, um… Bobby gave my info to a couple of hunters.

Jai: And let me guess, they're in beautiful, downtown Baraboo?

Gwen: Is there even a downtown Baraboo?

Jai: Semantics.

Jai: Tell me about these hunters.

Gwen: I don't know much, but I have names. Sam and Dean Winchester.

Jai: SON OF A BITCH!

Gwen: And Sam is highly unorganized. My OCD wanted to reach through the phone and smack him.

Jai: He might like that.

Jai: I've met them, briefly when we were kids at Uncle B's.

There was a pause in her thread of text messages, like she wasn't giving me the whole story, which was just like her but it could be important information.

Jai: They're John's boys.

Gwen: Son of a bitch!

Jai: Yeah, my thoughts exactly. Dean's the hot-headed one, Sam does research, both are some of the best hunters in the world, which begs the question…

Jai: Why did Bobby send them to you?

Gwen: Got me! But they are hunting the same thing we are, they just don't know it yet. They have absolutely no clue what they're looking for.

Jai: Because Sam is an all-American boy, seriously, I don't think they've ever come up against something that isn't Greek or American made. Hell, we've taken on more Kitsune than they've touch pokemon cards.

Gwen: So, great, total greenhorns when it comes to European anything.

Jai: Yeah, pretty much. Hey, what season is it there?

Gwen: Relevant to what?

Jai: My nice little innkeeper just walked by the back window with an ax...

Gwen: So…

Jai: And a shotgun. I just wanted to make sure we were still in the same universe cause I'm pretty sure it's not hunting season.

Jai: I'm gonna follow.

Gwen: Wait! Do I tell the boys.

Gwen: What do I do with the Winchesters?

Gwen: Don't go unarmed!

Gwen: Son of a bitch! Jai! Die and I will kill you!

Why was I still texting, she obviously didn't have her phone, better yet, why did I tell her not to go unarmed? Because she's an unstable hunter with a napoleon complex. And, she has no back up.

That settled it, it was time to send the Winchesters. This was going to go over as well as a fart in church. CRAP!

I picked up the other phone, saw what Sam had sent, not that I needed it and took a deep breath.

And away we go…

"Yeah!" The gruff voice that answered the phone this time was not the same as before and I couldn't help the shiver that went through me.

"Sam, please," I can be cordial, yes, not that I liked to be, but this one didn't sound like he played nicely with others.

"Hey, Gwen," Sam's smiling voice picked up the line.

"Found your monster." I had so much more to say but Dean's voice had shaken me just a little bit more than I thought it would.

"Already? Wow," he seemed surprised, why do they always seem surprised?

"It's a Redcap, a English-Scottish goblin, not the kind you want to meet at Hogwarts. This one is malevolent and pretty damn nasty."

"Okay, wait," Dean again, "what's an English Goblin doing in Wisconsin?"

Was it a trait that all of Bobby's "kids" were so damn infuriating? It was like talking to a male version of Jai. Creepy, but she definitely wasn't as inviting as the Winchester on the line. Oooh.

"Lots of things have been migrating lately," I snapped at him. Seriously, I had this conversation with Jai not more than a month ago when we ran into that Baku in Northern Nebraska. "It's like when the climate shifts, or the tectonic plates move, everything just goes wonky. Plus, it's cold and wet in England, maybe it just wanted a vacation."

"In Wisconsin?" Dean was in total disbelief but I could hear him continue to mutter something as he walked away.

"So, how do you know it's a Redcap?" Sam, finally, as unorganized as he was, I knew he would listen instead of question.

"The elevated levels of iron in the victim's blood gave me an indication that whatever was used to chop them up had to be something with that type of metal. The Redcaps are known to carry iron pikes, which is what he most likely used to do the deed. A rip and shred with those wouldn't take long at all. The blood volume in your vics is pretty low, but from the photos of the scene, there's no way to account for the amount that is missing, which means it was collected and Redcaps use their victim's blood to keep the magic in them flowing, by soaking the cap in it."

"Wonderful." Sam huffed. "So, where do we find it is the next question."

"That one's easy too," I sighed, best hunters in the country… whatever, Bobby! Oh, and John's boys, if my dad was alive, he'd have a field day with this. "You told me where it was when you called last. Devil's Lake Motel and Cabins. Everything is connected to that only issue would be tracking down what might not look like a goblin."

"Looks like we're off on a stake out." Sam seemed relieved. "Thank you, Gwen, for your help, looking off continent never crossed my mind. What we hunt is usually deterred by Iron, so I would have never thought of that."

"I know," and yes, I was damn smug about it. "You know how to reach me, so… if you need to…"

"We will." Sam's happy voice seemed to get… happier? And the line disconnected. Great, now what was I going to eat for lunch? Just then a new text beeped through and I snapped up the phone, giving it a glance over.

Jai: Ah, G, I think I might need those Winchesters after all.

Chapter Three

Jai

The diner was the last place I wanted to be today, but it was only noon and whatever the hell I was chasing wasn't going to come out of hiding until dark. Sitting down in the same little spot that I had sequestered that morning, I waited for the nasally voice of the waitress to ask about my order. It never came, or maybe it did and I just worked on autopilot because a deep, rough, angry-for-too-long voice interrupted my thoughts.

Looking up at the counter, I eyed over the length of a man that I recognized. Shit! He was dressed in dark slacks that hugged his body well, not that I was admiring his backside, because I wasn't, a matching tailored suit jacket that followed the curves of his shoulders, white dress shirt that I could see from above his collar. All in all, Dean Winchester was a good looking man, and apparently asking questions about the victims to the head waitress, not my new friend Flo either.

A burger and fries were set down in front of me, startling me back to reality, the problem was, startling me wasn't the best thing in the world, but not her fault. Wasn't her fault when I reached for the glock usually tucked in the waistband of my jeans, and it wasn't her fault when I finally came to my senses and just slammed said hand down on the table, attracting the unwanted attention of one Dean Winchester.

"Sorry, I, ah, sorry." I mumbled to the woman. She gave me a frown and right then I thanked whatever higher powers that I had left my weapon in the car. There went my appetite.

I sat back in the chair and thought about the message conversation with Gwen.

Gwen: Ok, what exactly is going on? Cause needing the Winchesters would never leave your mouth.

Jai: Followed our boy, Klem.

Gwen: Wait, it's got a name?

Jai: No. I made it up. Anyway...

Jai: So, KLEM, is not alone. There's a cabin on the far back corner of the property and it's not empty.

Gwen: A den?

Jai: At least 5.

Gwen: Shit.

Jai: Found out where the vics are too. Whole place smelled like death. Pretty bad. The space around it is covered in lavender, masks the scent.

Gwen: You need more recon.

Jai: I'd hate to say it but I think I need backup.

Gwen: I think I have a way to send some to you.

Jai: Perfect, I'll just wait here then.

"Hey," his voice was just the way I remembered it from the last time I walked out on him. Slowly, I brought my eyes up from the tempting burger that sat in front of me, and I was jostled out of the recap of the text conversation with Gwen.

My eyes connected with the grass green ones of the older Winchester brother as he slid into the booth seat across from me. I watched that sly smile grace his lips as I finally rested against the back of my seat and worried my bottom lips as he looked me over.

"Bobby know you're out here?" Fuck him and his dickish ways. Any pleasantries just went out the window.

"Screw you, AGENT!" Yep, there was bad blood here.

"I'm just looking out for Bobby's girl." Dean held his hands up as if to surrender and I took it, backing off to continue with my lunch. "So, what brings you out this way?"

"Lunch." Okay, so call me a sarcastic bitch, but really, what kind of question is that? "You?"

"Case." Straight and to the point, I love me a Winchester conversation. "So, Bobby?"

"Left him at home with a bottle of rotgut and some 90210, told him I was going on a drive and I ended up… here." I grinned sarcastically at him and took a drink of the now flat soda before me. "Gwen said there might be something up this way, so I stopped and viola, here we sit."

"Funny, Gwen was the one that Bobby sent Sam to for some info about the case." Dean, his normal asshole self, just put his arm on the back of the booth and smiled as he tilted his head, like he was looking for a weakness. His eyes narrowed on me and I grabbed the napkin, wiped my lips and tossed it down. "You alone?"

"Wouldn't you like to know." I winked, stood, and pulled the twenty from the back pocket of my jeans. "Pie is on me. Have a good day, Agent."

I wasn't blowing his cover but I sure as hell wasn't going to be questioned by Bobby's "boy." Of course, the last time we met might have a little to do with our unfriendly nature to each other but hell, put two pigheaded people in the same room with a banshee and you know something bad is bound to happen.

I was out by my car just as the sound of boots hitting the gravel filled air around me. I turned just in time to watch Dean come to a stop at the back of the car.

"Don't need it, don't want it, and if you try it, there's gonna be hell to pay." I snapped, fishing my keys from my pocket as he took a deep breath in, expanding that impressive chest.

"You know about how well I Iisten, right?" Was Dean's witty reply as he cracked a smile.

"Dean, you know I appreciate the…"

"No, you don't," he stepped closer, the space between us disappearing faster than I could breath. "You don't appreciate anything, let alone Bobby…" and, the truth comes out. "All the crap you put him through is going to kill him one of these days and you just keep on doing it."

"This coming from the man who started the apocalypse… fuck off!"

Done! So done! I got in the car, revved her up as much as she could take and hauled ass out of the parking lot.

So, it was back to Coke-central with six hours until sundown with the wrong Winchester on my ass, not that Sam and I ever met, but this day just kept getting better.

Welcome to the life of Jai Fucking Lancing.

No, Lancing isn't my real last name, it's the place I was born, where real life started and stopped, before the darkness of everything else started. Hell, Jai isn't even the real deal either, but I was happy there, I tried to hold onto it, so when I needed to disappear, that was the only thing I had left, and I kept it.

You can't know my age, that's not an option but I can tell you everything that's ever happened to me and we can go from there.

At 6, I experienced my first trip into the supernatural by means of a Ghost. Not scary at first, but the more the kid stuck around, the more malevolent it became. Dad took care of it pretty easy, not sure how but "you're safe now" was always my favorite line.

At 8, I knew my first tragedy. Mom died in a horrible car accident, one that I miraculously survived. Dad said I had angels watching over me, I told him that they needed their wings clipped for not saving her too.

At 10, I went to live with my Uncle Bobby for a summer, not that he was my real uncle but I had known him for five years now, I didn't know what else to call him. He was awesome!

At 11, I moved in. Something happened to Dad and instead of being placed in foster care, I was shipped off to live with him. I also learned how to shoot a gun that summer, it was great.

At 12, I killed my first baddie… and I don't even know what it was.

At 15, I met two boys that Uncle B always had showing up, and usually when they showed up, I disappeared, but there was no way I was moving that summer because it was also the one that I had broken my first bone. Had to be my ankle, didn't it. They didn't stick around, I didn't ask questions, sequestered myself to my room and let Bobby bring my food to me. The older kid was a jerk anyway. We started fighting right away. I didn't see them anymore.

At 19, I caught my first case.

At 22, I got my first partner.

At 23, I lost that partner… hardest thing I ever did was watch him burn.

At 24, I got another one. And SHE was just a bit different.

Bobby had sent me on a hunt that no one else wanted, mainly because they thought it was just an average run-of-the-mill Rugaru. They could never have been more wrong. I ended up in Eastern Massachusetts, in a place people referred to as the Bridgewater Triangle, our very own version of the Bermuda triangle but set on old Native land and this wasn't a Rugaru. It was something much more complicated.

I had called Bobby, which wasn't a usual thing for me. I had ways in and out of hunts that most people didn't but this one had me stumped.

"No wonder no one wanted this crap, because it's pure crap." I had scolded him but listened intently to the voices in the background. The boys were back in town. "Listen, if you're busy, I'll let you go, you can deal with the Winchesters and call me back when you can."

"These idjits are old enough to deal with themselves and they're not alone on a hunt. You and me, we're gonna figure this out. Listen, I'm going to give you a number. Call it, might be the best thing you ever do. I know you don't like partners but she's local and can give you some of the best crypto of anyone I know."

"Better than you?" I could only laugh, who was better than Bobby?

"Call her, Lancing, or I swear, I will send these boys out to you."

God, that threat! He knew it would get me everytime.

"No, I'm good, you keep your hunters and I'll call your contact. Give me her name."

"Glad you see it my way." He was full of shit because he knew I would only ever trust him. "Alright, you got a pen?" Sure, right here in my handy, dandy notebook. "Her name is Gwen Bancroft, and trust me, she knows her shit."

"Great," I wasn't sure if I wanted to keep going and irritate the old man for being a pain in my ass, or just keep it to myself and do my job. I chose the latter, might as well be civil and hope for the best. "You owe me a bottle of Jim when I get back."

"I'll owe you a kick in the ass if you don't come back in one piece."

"Hey, Bobby…" I heard the rumble of a voice in the background. Not too high but deep enough to make me shake involuntarily with a warmth that I didn't like. It had been a while since I had heard Sam Winchester's voice and, damn if it didn't sound good, but I wasn't going to stick around to hear what he wanted.

"I gotcha, Uncle B." That was when I hung up the phone.

Now, to call Gwen and see just what the hell I was up against.

Or at least, that was then… and this is now.

"Okay, you never call me this much on a hard case, so why are doing it on a relatively easy one?" This time she was a little annoyed but not unhappy to hear from me.

"Three words: Dean Fucking Winchester." I growled as I flopped back on the bed, picking at the small picture of the coke bottle.

"Excuse me?"

"Dean just interrupted my lunch, so, I'm gonna guess they were already in town when Sam called you because he arrived pretty damn fast." It wasn't that I was mad at her, I really wasn't, but that man ruffled my feathers the wrong way. "How do I get him to stay away?"

"What does he have? The plague?"

"A cocky ass attitude. I have my own, thank you very much, I don't need to compete with his." I tried taking a deep breath but the tang of dried blood seemed to assault my nose. "I need to get out of here but I don't wanna chance running into him again."

"I got something for you," Gwen reassured me and sent a few text messages my way. "If you feel like dressing up."

"Ah, no, I'll pass." Grabbing my bag, I pulled out the laptop and fired it up. That was when I heard it, the rumble of the familiar 1967 Chevy Impala that John had driven all those years ago. "Crap, what the hell is he doing here?"

"Following up a lead I sent him on, sorry."

"No," I moved to the window and watched as Dean made his to the office, "it's okay, you were doing what you do best. I just hope he doesn't notice my car."

"You park in your usual spot?"

"Round the corner, towards the back, yes ma'am."

"Close the shades and take a breath, you'll be fine."

Just a few more hours. I needed some sleep or I'd be pretty useless tonight. Laying down on the bed, I close my eyes, not bothering to hang up the phone. Half in a daze, I heard the line disconnect and so was off to dreamland.

Chapter Four

Gwen

Sending the Winchesters to Jai was either the best or the worst decision that I could've made. Yes, they were definitely capable of handling the task of taking down the Redcap. That wasn't the issue. The problem was that Jai could be… prickly when it came to any sort of assistance being directed her way. Especially if she knew I sent the boys without her permission. I learned that early in our relationship.

We met through pretty much the same circumstances that had led Sam Winchester to me. Bobby Singer deciding to give my number to a Hunter that couldn't figure out what they were hunting. I don't want to toot my own horn but fuck it, I'm good at what I do. There's a reason Bobby sends them to me when he knows almost everything about anything. I've been researching cases like this since I was a kid, helping out my dad who was a Hunter, and years later I'm still at my best pouring over books of lore. Turns out Jai is also a Masshole and was tracking what she thought was a rougarou in the Bridgewater Triangle.

"*Sigh* Password?"

"Ugh...umm...some sort of wild animal. Oh, what the fuck?! Bobby told me to give you a call. I need help trying to figure out what the hell I'm hunting. I don't have time for password bullshit."

"Yea well I don't have time for someone that can't follow simple instructions. Password or I hang up."

"Fine! Whatever! Umm...prairie dog. No wait… grizzly bear!"

"Correct. Now how may I be of assistance?"

"Really?! That's it?!"

"Yes. You give me the password, I give you information. So what is it you THINK that you're hunting?"

"All the information I got pointed towards a rougarou, but since I got here, I'm starting to think it's something else."

"Oh?" Despite my initial feelings, my interest was piqued. "What sort of conflicting information are you finding?"

"Well for one thing, there are no tracks. Zip, zero, zilch. Even at the scene, there's nothing identifiable."

Thinking back on it I wonder how the hell we even got through that first conversation, let alone case, and still be working together for all these years. Shaking my head to focus on the task at hand. What to do about the Winchesters? Then the phone started ringing… again… ugh.

"Need help again so soon, Sam?"

"Hey Gwen. Yea...kinda. Do you know who the hunter is that's already out here?"

Ah shit! How am I gonna play this one off? "Umm...maybe?"

"I'll take that as a yes. So what's the deal?"

"My partner and I were already tracking the redcap when you called. Turns out it's not just one though, there's an entire den of them. So the fact that you two are there works out really well cause she could use the help." I was pretty much babbling at this point, but I didn't like having to explain myself and Jai could use the backup.

"Who's your partner? Where is she staying? I can send Dean to help her out."

"Jai Lancing. Last thing I knew she was staking out the cabins. That's where she found the den."

"Oh shit...seriously? Like Dean's Jai?"

"That would be the one." Hearing Sam state "like Dean's Jai" means that it wasn't just me that was aware of their angsty past. Not that she ever told me his last name, but how many men named Dean, who is also a hunter, can there be, plus Sam pulled Jai's name out so that must mean they're one in the same.

"Dean's supposed to be up around the cabins, checking out the owner. I'm sure he knows Jai is in town." I listened to him pause, wondering if he had more to say when he suddenly came out with: "hey, if you know Bobby so well, how come we've never met? I mean, you would think somewhere along this line we would have known about each other."

I thought for a moment, "I honestly don't know." How much would I reveal to him, ah what the hell, "my dad knew John. In fact, so did I, but I don't know why we never met."

"You knew my dad?"

"When I was younger, my dad was a hunter… I mean, yeah, kinda… yeah, he was, but he hated taking me along, so I started doing the research for him. Got into all sorts of mythology, demonology, finally landed in cryptozoology and I was damn good at it."

"Yeah, I could tell." There was an actual smile in his voice, not like the fake stuff he had been pulling all day.

"When I was fourteen, I remember your dad coming up the driveway with that Impala he used to drive, huge boat of a car, but my dad let him in and he asked me if I could look up some information. In the summer of 1994, and I remember it because I was just starting high school and it was SO boring. I just wanted to stay home with my dad, but he was gone on hunts." I moved from the computer, headed from the office to the kitchen to start some tea as I thought back. "John was here in Massachusetts, he was searching for something in my area of expertise, not what he could pull out of a library or off the internet."

"So, what was it?"

"Phantom Hitchhiker," I shrugged, not that he could see me.

"Those are simple, Dad could have handled that one with his eyes closed."

"Sam, look up the hitchhiker of Route 44 in Rehoboth, trust me, your Dad didn't have this one handled." I wasn't trying to be snarky but it was still there and I remembered when John came back a week later. Needless to say, we actually used that guest room for about a week. "Anyway, he came to me after that no matter what he needed information on, but only if Bobby couldn't find it for him."

"It's so strange to still find his connections after so long."

"I was sorry to hear about his passing."

All Sam did was sigh, clear his throat and pretend to move on. "So… I'm going to let you go so I can fill Dean in on this, plus, I should probably warn him about Jai, and make sure he knows to look before he fires."

"That would probably be a good idea," and it might have gotten a little smirk from me to think of Jai facing off against Dean one more time. "Here's hoping that we hear from them before we hear the police reports."

"Thanks again, Gwen."

"Yep, yep," and the call disconnected.

Now… we wait.

The phone rang again about six pm on my personal line and instead of rolling my eyes because how much information could the Winchesters possibly need, I pressed the accept on my bluetooth.

"Oh, so, you're alive, that's good."

"I overslept." Jai's voice was groggy but I could hear the coffee machine in the back gurgling. "And, I'm out of creamer."

"Could be worse," dramatic pause, "you could be out of coffee."

"Bite your damn tongue."

"What are you calling me for, Tiny Dancer?"

"Sun sets in less than an hour, I need to go over the plan just one more time but I need a little more about the cap."

I heard the clank of the spoon as she stirred whatever she dressed up that crap she called caffeine with and her obnoxiously loud sigh as she took a seat. I could hear the windows chime as she booted up her laptop and it almost made me want to be there hunting with her. I said almost, but I remembered the last time we walked into an unknown situation that left me searching the nearest hardware store for an iron pan. One of these days we were going to have to sit down and discuss rules.

"What do you need to know?"

"Is there a specific kind of material that it's made from? Cause you know polyester smells really bad when it burns. Like fucking nasty stuff."

"No, there's no details, not even if its a newsboy cap or some beanie. I think it's just whatever they happen to have that they can soak it in. Want me to check?"

"No, I don't need to know if it's a magical beanie… geez, Gwen, we're not going for fashion week here, I just want to be prepared."

I grabbed another cup of tea, wrapped up in the hoodie that I loved to wear during the fall weather and sat down at my desk again. "You know, just because it's a goblin doesn't mean it can't be stylish." I could almost hear her rolling her eyes. "Dean knows you're hunting tonight, and where, I just haven't told them when."

"Ugh!" she groaned, "I was trying to forget about him! Wait, did you tell Sam or actually talk with the douche?"

"You don't really think he's a douche, you know it's okay to admit that."

"Nope, just nope."

It was fun to goad her on, but she was right, she needed to know. "I told Sam, and apparently, to him, you're Dean's Jai."

That little bit of information was going to set her off.

"He can go to hell! I'm not Dean's ANYTHING! Besides, if I remember correctly, Sam was a tall drink of water the last time I caught a glimpse of him at Stanford."

"You're full of shit, because you barely remember him and you're just deflecting. You've never even been to Palo Alto." I couldn't help but laugh, her reactions to everything Dean was the strangest, most annoying but funniest damn thing ever. "If I get off the subject of Dean, could we get back on the case?"

"If I get off… what?" I knew it, I knew she was going to go there as soon as the words left my mouth.

"Concentrate," I snapped but couldn't help the smile. "You're in a life or death situation, you need to know the facts."

"I live in a life or death situation, and the fact is, I need to know what the hell the hat is made of so I can bring the right kind of accelerant."

"Kerosene is probably your best bet. It ignites at 100 to 150 and evaporates the moisture. Which is good if the cap is soaked with blood. You're going to have to find it though, it's possible that it won't be wearing it, especially if you said there were bodies around. It's got to keep the blood somewhere and it might be re-upping the magic, so it could be soaking."

"Yeah, Short, Raspy, and Ugly wasn't wearing a cap when he came out to the counter, he didn't look like he was dripping with blood either, and the den was pretty amped up but there was nothing there at that point for a heat source, except a fireplace."

"Then it makes sense that it's hidden somewhere." I heard her exhale on the line. "Get something to eat."

"I could say the same about you, and not those damn burritos," she cleared her throat, "listen, I finally got to deposit your part of the take from the last job, should be a good 2K in your bank account. Do something with it, get rid of it so it can't be traced after you get it out. Got it?"

"Do I look like an amateur?"

"You don't look like anything, you're on the phone, not a video."

"Sarcastic bitch," I wanted to reach through the phone and smack her, "go order a pizza, or a Winchester, I could give Sam your room number and send Dean up."

"You wouldn't!" She knew I would. "Don't you dare! I swear I will hunt you down and take all your power cords!"

"You just sent me two grand, do you really think I can't go out and buy more."

"Harsh, really harsh. Okay, I'm going to get dinner, make sure I have everything I need, and possibly stop off at a hardware store. Used the last of my fluid on the stupid salt and burn that Bobby sent me on in Arizona."

"The one that nearly kicked your ass?"

"Hey, it was a poltergeist, thank you very much, not your typical vengeful spirit. You would have known that if you had come along like I asked you too."

"Ghost children, Lancing, and that's all I got to say about that. Just… ghost children. I was nice and comfortable in my own house."

"Chicken shit!"

"Night, Jai, message when it's done."

"Yeah, whatever."

And the line disconnected. I shivered at the thought of the last case I had worked over the line for her. It hadn't been pretty, an orphanage full of creepy little adolescent spirits, all determined to take down any adult that walked in through the door. Nah, I was good being right here behind the computer.

The phone beside me dinged, but it wasn't Jai, it was Sam and I grinned at the message.

SAM: Dean knows it's Jai and he's pissed.

What the hell was it with those two? I put the phone down and didn't bother to answer because at the end of the night, they would either work together or die together, either way something would have to give.

Kicking my feet up on the desk, I clicked on Netflix on the computer and pulled up Nailed it!, and wrapped my hands around the warm mug of tea. All I had to do was wait.

Chapter Five

Jai

This wasn't going to be good, not good at all…

Night had fallen… finally... and here I was crouched behind an uprooted tree, hiding in the dirt-covered remains, gun in one hand, machete in the other as I waited, and listened. I could hear the strange grunting noises, shifting of heavy boots and the sound of metal scraping against metal. This was going to be fun… yeah, right!

So… the plan was simple… I had no plan. Run in, shank the leader, behead the followers and make a grab for the blood-soaked thing it wore on it's so-called head. Easy-peasy, right? One would have thought but… turns out my luck was running out.

I never heard the one that snuck up behind me, never even got a whiff of the putrid smell of whatever body odor it reeked with before I was tugged up by the back of my jacket and thrown clear across the glade before landing face-first on the wet, thick grass. Oh, maybe my luck hadn't run out, at least there was some sort of cushion.

Shaking off the nearly blackout inducing loss of breath, I pushed myself to my knees, resting one hand on the ground and looked around for the gun, and the blade, which had gone flying as I… well… flew to my current resting spot.

"You have got to be kidding me!" I mumbled, because, yeah, again… no luck. Black gun, mostly moonless night, yep… so screwed, but I saw a hint of the blade not ten feet to my left, and started to shuffle towards it. I definitely knew where the Redcap was now, and managed to get within fingertip distance of the handle before my world tilted again and I was staring up at the God-awful demon.

Okay, wait, let me rephrase because Demons I got, Redcaps were crazy, and pretty well the most nastiest things I had ever come across in the decades I had of hunting under my belt. It leaned over me, and in the dead of night, I wasn't sure if it was a he or she but I didn't really care. I scrambled back, putting my feet down and digging in my heels in order to get the blade.

I wrapped my fingers around it, fell back and with both hands snuggly holding tight, I thrusted upwards as it fell towards me. Blood poured down my arms and over my chest as I closed my eyes and tilted my head away. That was when I heard it, the whoosh of a thick blade through the air and suddenly, the thing above me was just a little lighter, the sound of it's head thumping down on the grass and rolling away had my stomach turning.

Taking in a deep breath, I opened my eyes, yanked my arms to the right and knocked the body off, feeling the slide of muscles and bone along the length of the blade. Shifting so that I was sitting, I turned my gaze upward at the smug face of the green-eyed man from the diner. Goddamn Dean Winchester!

"I hope you're happy," I snapped, my tone low and annoyed, "two minutes earlier and you could have saved me from having to burn my favorite shirt."

"Yeah, well," he started as he reached out and grabbed my outstretched hand, yanking me to my feet, "you're lucky I like my brother, or I wouldn't have been out here to save your ass at all."

"Your brother?" I snickered, looking around for another body in the night, "funny, I don't see him out here, where is he? I'd like to thank him, preferably with my tongue."

"Fucking gross," he rolled his eyes, "glad to know you haven't changed." I turned and started looking down around my feet, shuffling the soles of the boots I was wearing along the grass. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I lost my gun," I replied, pointedly, continuing without looking up.

"Really?" he was questioning me now, great, so much for some teeny-tiny spot of common ground. I stopped, threw my hands in the air and turned towards him. "You're looking for a black gun, in the grass on a night where there's barely any light to see two inches in front of you… did you hit your head?"

"Apparently it's not dark enough," I snapped back, nope wasn't going to let him pick on me, "I can still see your ugly ass!"

And with that, I wiped the blade on my jeans and moved on with my mission. There was no way I was going to take back my statement, even if his ass was a lot better looking than I was going to give him credit for. It might have just been the thing that made me storm off on him last time we "met" but there was no way I was giving into that temptation again. NO SIR!

Tucked up against a larger cabin, set deeper in the thickening woods, I turned slightly to stare into the window as the firelight from inside burned brightly. I could feel the heat of Dean's body pressing up against my back as he literally looked over my head at the same scene I was staring at.

"How many do you count?" He whispered softly, and I so didn't need him to be breathing that close to my ear. Damn distraction! I was not attracted to Dean… not attracted at all, and that was what I was going to keep telling myself until his happy ass was clear across the country… again.

"Five, which means that there was six to begin with," I stepped back, into the solid muscle of his chest, felt his hand go to my hip as he slipped me his spare gun, since, you know, mine was lost in the grass. My fingers closed around his and the grip as I turned to look up at him. "So, what's the plan?"

"Not a clue," Dean let out a huff, and pulled me back into the darkness, "didn't your little research friend give you the details on how to gank the bastards?"

"She would love you for calling her little, since she's just as tall as you are," I grinned and checked over the gun in my hand before tucking it away behind my back. "And, yes, actually, she did." I pulled the blade from my boot, checked it over in what little light came from the cabin and looked up at him. "The big guy, well as big as they get, is wearing a cap, take that off, light it up and poof, no more magic."

"Sounds simple," he checked over the 1911 and looked around for some sort of strategic starting point. Guess what, there wasn't one. We were just going to have to go in guns blazing, but who was I to tell him that?

"Yeah, not so much." I smirked and made my way past him, around to the other side of the cabin. That was when I happened to look up. "Hmm."

"Please, tell me you're not…" I held my hand out to him. "Really, this is a brand new jacket."

"Fork it over, Dean, stop fucking belly aching." I watched as he divested and handed me the damn jacket. Wow, it was heavier than it looked. "You're not going to freeze out here, are you, Princess?"

"You know, I could just feed you to them, right? I mean, you're small and edible."

Fuck you, Winchester! My brain went south pretty damn quick as soon as the words left his lips and I hated him for it because as I hid the blush well in the dark, I couldn't help but see the smirk on his face. I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of a response, but it looked like he already knew how much it affected me.

It was the thrill of the hunt, I swear! It happened all the times we had ever done this together. Snarky little flirtation comments back and forth, but when it was over, we were right back at each other's throats. It was a stress relief, that's all it was, and that was all it was staying, except you know, maybe that one time…

I placed my foot on the stack of wood, looked up at the chimney and found a handhold, something I could use to pull myself up, but before I could, I watched the shadow that loomed over me and turned to see Dean standing there with his hands folded together, offering me a boost.

"Try copping a feel, and I will kick you in the jaw." I growled and watched his lips turn up.

"Noted," he almost laughed… almost, in reply before I braced my hands on his shoulder and let him push me up until I was able to stand on his shoulders. "You know, this would be fun if you were wearing a skirt, I could see right…"

"Shut up, Dean!" and then, I was pulling myself up and over the small, shingled roof.

As silently as possible, I made my way up the pitch and stood against the brick chimney. Dean backed up, getting close to the treeline but at an angle that I could see him, and he could protect me, before I stripped off his jacket. I had slipped it over mine in order to make it easier to carry, and now I was rolling it up. I knew he was going to be pissed about it, but as I stuffed it down into the cap, clogging up the flue.

My intention seemed pretty obvious, block the smoke, force the little, ugly, English goblins out of hiding, of course, it only backfired a little when the smell of decomposing bodies inside started to fill the cabin and bellow out the slightly open windows. The fire started to rise, the flames seemed to gather the oxygen in the house and feed on whatever it could to keep lit.

Oops.

Dean moved closer to the house, standing under the pitch as he held his arms wide and gestured for me to jump.

"Back off," I whispered, there was no way I wouldn't manage to hurt him.

"Just… let's go! I'll catch you." he was still waving those arms at me.

"Yeah, right, you'll purposely drop me, now back the fuck off." Yes, we were doing this now.

"You are a thick-headed, little, son of a…"

"Dean! MOVE!" Not that I didn't appreciate his concern for my mental and physical but the flames were starting to lick at the ceiling and I could feel it getting warm under foot. Without warning, and just as the man's attention was drawn to the fleeing goblins, I jumped. Less than gracefully, because if you weren't Supergirl, you better learn to tuck and roll, I stumbled, knees bent as I hit the ground, and his arms suddenly wrapped around my waist. At least he didn't let me face-plant. "They're on the move."

"No shit." Dean snapped, got me upright and drew his gun. I grinned, because, well I could, and pulled the borrowed gun from its hiding place. "Target practice time."

"Make sure you hit what you aim for." I laughed as I went to move around the other side of the building.

"I've never had any complaints on my aim, baby."

I stopped mid-stride and looked over at the mischievous grin on his face, the twinkle in his green eyes and I nearly let him have it. I did have a full clip, but I took in a deep breath. We would be discussing his pet name when this was done, in very vivid and possibly bruising detail. He winked, took a step around the corner and disappeared.

I hated him!

Gun fire and blades were all I remembered for the next few minutes, that and the sound of the Winchester behind me making some sort of snide comments when I wasn't rushing headlong into the blazing cabin to find the damn cap, which I had seen on the alpha of the pack before. Finally, when all but one were either beheaded or down for the count by bullets, I took a deep breath and jumped into the meylee.

I pulled my collar around my nose, breathed through the fabric and searched. Of course, it was in the very last place I looked, right in the bucket by the door. Why the HELL would he leave it in a burning building, but it didn't matter. What did was that he had overpowered Dean and had the man on his knees, iron pike pressing into his chest just to the right of his sternum.

"Fuck!" I snarled under my breath, reaching in with bare hands to the five-gallon bucket of blood. I started to fish around when I heard it.

"Any fucking time now, Lancing!" Leave it to Dean to pick the exact moment I was about to curse him to remind me that I kind of needed him, but I wasn't going to admit that… ever.

"Hold your damn horses!" I replied, but that was pretty much under my breath too because just as I said it, I pulled the soaked material from the bucket and felt sick to my stomach. I'm pretty sure there was someone's hair in there. GROSS! "Found it!"

I moved out, pulling the gun from its hiding spot once again, blood covered and slick and I braced my thumb on the trigger. I raised it to eye-level, got the goblin in my sight and clicked off the safety.

"Hey, Ugly!" It looked up just as I squeezed.

The sound echoed through the night, bounced off every tree in the area and hit it's target. It released Dean, stumbled back a bit and looked up at me beyond pissed off.

"Crap!" I exclaimed and moved, bringing the cap with me. I ducked around the cabin, hid in the thick blanket of smoke as the wind changed direction and pulled the small flask of lighter fluid from my pocket. Yes, I carry flammable liquids, don't we all? Dumping the cap on the ground, I pretty much emptied the canister of the kerosene down on it in order to get the damn thing to light. Flicking at the wheel, I begged it to catch the flint and ignite the flame but NO, some dumbass had wet, sticky, blood-covered fingers and it wasn't working. "Double Crap!"

"Lancing!" Dean hollered over the sound of the fire crackling beside me. I could hear the wood splintering as it ate through it and there wasn't much time before that wall came down.

"Yeah, yeah!" I mumbled in reply. "I'm working on it."

Suddenly, it sprang to life just as Dean rounded the corner and I dropped it to the cap. It caught and the cap started to burn, my eyes moving up to the smile on Dean's face that I gladly

returned, until the shadow of the goblin stalked up behind him, pike at the ready, but the cap seemed to have melted into a pile red, bubbling goo. The tang of burning blood filled the air.

"DEAN!" I screamed and watched as his instincts kicked in and he turned, at the same time bringing his blade up. It sailed effortlessly through the air, and cut like a knife through softened butter when it connected with the neck of the crypto. Separating in two pieces, I watched as it fell to the ground and finally I could breath. "Jesus."

"Hey, would you look at that." Dean grinned like a fucking boy, staring down at his handy work before he came over and offered me a hand. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just, you know, covered in dead man's blood." I shivered looking down at my ruined clothing before he tugged me away from the building. "Hey, sorry about your jacket."

"Ah, no sweat, got it on sale," he grinned, which made me stop because, what the actual hell, and I watched him slip his blade away before he wiggled the fingers of his free hand. "Five finger discount."

"Oh," I shook my head, thrifty man, I like it. NOPE, nope, not liking anything about Dean. NOPE.

"Hey," he started as we continued to walk, still not having dropped my hand as if I were going to disappear, "how come you didn't just use the fire from the house? I mean, it was right there."

Okay, that got me to put on the brakes and screech to a halt. "What?"

Dean turned to look at me. "The lighter that you kept playing with, why didn't you just, I don't know, toss the damn hat into the fire?" To be honest, my head wasn't really in it, so yeah, I wasn't even thinking about that but Dean's hand came down and softly caressed my face. "Jai? You there?"

"Yeah, what?" I stepped back, maybe I was a little dazed, maybe I had hit my head. "I… ah," nothing, I had nothing. "You know what? Next time, you go ahead and do my job and let me do yours, oh master of the universe, and we'll see what you come up with."

I slipped out of his touch, so did not want to be touched by him, and stalked off towards the hotel, leaving him there in the night. Yeah, the last comment didn't make sense, but all I wanted was a drink… and maybe a nap, and to call Gwen and tell her to put another one down in the books.

I absolutely did NOT want to stand there in the fire light being touched by Dean Fucking Winchester.