Author's Note: I already know where I'm going with the story arc but I wanted to break it up into a few short chapters to work on them. The story idea was one I hadn't seen done yet (though it probably has so this is just my take). I hope you enjoy it.
The tires of the cherry red '65 Mustang threw up a spray of gravel as it took the corner almost too hard. Inside it the driver, a ruggedly handsome man who looked to be in his late twenties at most laughed with abandon as the Mustang fishtailed a bit before the tires bit in and the car shot off up the highway. Seconds later a black '67 Impala took the corner a little less hard but with more control and sped after the mustang. The Imapala was slowly gaining on the Mustang but it was clear it would be a while before the Impala would actually catch up.
Dean wasn't sure what he planned to do when he caught up but presently he was of a mindset that it would probably involve the use of a gun to stop the driver. He wasn't sure what, exactly, they were chasing other than the fact that it wasn't human and had been responsible for several deaths in a town now quite a few miles behind them. The deaths had at first been attributed to a pack of wild dogs in the area but, as the body count increased, it started to look like it might be a werewolf. Not everything added up, though. A werewolf went for the heart and only three of the seven deaths had hearts involved. Two of those had been savagely attacked but one, oddly, just seemed to have had it's heart exploded out of it's chest. No, Dean wasn't entirely sure what they were hunting but they'd caught the driver of the Mustang with heart in hand and later watched as he changed from werewolf to human in broad daylight, of all things. It looked like a werewolf but didn't quite act like one.
They had almost caught the thing as it fled the latest kill. Based on the details and the chance of it being a werewolf Sam had loaded his Beretta 9mm with silver bullets but only managed to hit the fleeing monster in a shoulder. The thing had howled when hit and that's when it turned back into a human. It turned a corner down an alley and Sam and Dean were nearly run over by a red Mustang tearing out of the ally just before they could turn the corner in pursuit. They lost precious seconds running back to their still-running Impala.
"Come on Baby, we can do this." Baby, Dean's name for the Imapala, had an engine that roared with primal power running in top condition thanks to Dean's loving care. They were closing fast on the Mustang when Sam started shouting. "Dean! There's a ravine ahead and we just passed a sign! The bridge is out, Dean! Stop!"
Dean laughed as he slowed and spoke more to himself, "There's no where to run now. Gotcha!" Both Dean and Sam were shocked as the Mustang made no attempt to slow but, rather, drove headlong off the edge of a broken bridge to fall a good twenty or so feet into the ravine. The Mustang must have hit exactly wrong as a moment later there was a very large fireball accompanied by a loud explosion from deep within the ravine. Dean pulled the Impala to a stop at an angle near the ravine and leapt out. He could feel the heat coming from the carbeque below as it continued to burn. "Son of a bitch!" he shouted angrily.
"What?" asked Sam as he quickly rounded the Impala and came to Dean's side.
"He lived." Dean was incredulous. Somehow the thing had survived the sudden crash and the explosion. "Quick, back in the car. I saw a turn off about a quarter mile back that looked like it might head down in the direction that ravine runs."
Sam and Dean turned back towards the Impala only to find that the Impala was gone. Any thoughts of pursuing the fleeing monster were instantly gone. The Imapala was just gone. This just wasn't possible. In the shock Dean almost overlooked the crumpled figure on the side of the road. It was Sam who noticed it start to move first. It was instantly recognizable as a person and, once she started to stand up, he realized it was a woman. Sam, thinking that perhaps this had been a passenger who'd jumped from the Mustang before it went over the bridge kept his Beretta trained on her.
The woman stretched her shoulders appearing to work out a kink in her back. She wore a one piece black dress that came down to just above her knees with nearly elbow-length sleeves. She looked to be in her mid to late twenties, perhaps, with slightly pale skin and shoulder length black hair. She wasn't particularly slim, in fact she was closer to what you might call full figured and her little black dress was cut to emphasize her figure to it's best effect. Finished stretching she looked at Sam and Dean before saying "Sam, put the gun down. I'm certainly not going to hurt you."
Sam was taken a little aback but kept his gun trained on her. "How do you know my name?"
"Please, Sam, I've known you just about as long as you've been alive. Really, I'd rather not be shot if you don't mind." This explanation did nothing to allay Sam's concerns. The Imapala disappears without a trace and now here's this woman who knows his name, looks to be close to their age, and claims to have known him his whole life? This didn't bode well.
By now Dean had his gun out as well but he kept it aimed at the ground near her feet ready to bring up into play at a moment's notice. "What are you?" he asked in a raised voice gruff with perturbation.
She looked down at herself, noticed a bit of road dust on her dress, and reached down to dust it off before replying. "Well, at the moment I certain appear to be a woman, wouldn't you say?"
"No more games," Dean groused. "Who or what are you?"
"Please, Darlin', think this one through a moment. Your chasing a monster that doesn't act like it should. The moment your back is turned your rather impressive vehicle disappears, and when you look back you find stunning little me in it's place. Care to take a guess what just happened?"
"Son of a bitch," Dean swore again to no one in particular. It didn't make any sense but this whole case was odd to begin with. Dean said the only thing that came to mind at the moment. "Baby?"
"Got it in one, Champ." she replied with a dazzling smile.
"You have got to be kidding me," was all Sam had to say. Both he and Dean had lowered their guns.
Dean glanced back over the ravine edge but their quary was long gone. There was no way they were catching up with it now.
A few hours later and a couple miles walk back down the road they arrived a gas station with a small diner attached. Sam had ordered a rather reasonable salad with grilled chicken but both Dean and Baby had ordered bacon cheeseburgers with a side order of fries. Baby appeared to have been relishing the meal claiming that she had always wondered what it tasted like given how often Dean would order things like this. For the first half hour Sam and Dean had little interest in the food they'd ordered as they grilled Baby with questions. They had finally concluded that, improbable as it was and in spite of the oddness of the situation, given what she knew this woman might actually be Baby. They had seen plenty of unusual and unexpected things in their years of hunting but this was a new level of strange even for them.
"So, you remember all the things we've done?" Dean asked Baby.
"Well, not all. Do you remember all the things you've ever done? I'm human. Well, I am now, at least. I don't think there's really a way to explain it. I wouldn't say I 'remember' or that I 'thought' before. I suppose it's more that I would now say I 'remember' what would be impressions of what happened before."
Sam inquired whether she remembered what happened or had any idea if this was permanent.
"No, I'm not really sure what happened. One minute my engine is idling and you two are running for the ledge and the next I'm laying on the side of the road trying not to cough on the road dust. I can tell you it was rather surreal. I have no more idea how it happened or what happens next than you probably do."
Dean thought for a moment and finally concluded, "Well, first thing I suspect we should get back to our hotel room. We can make a few calls. Maybe Bobby will have some idea what's going."
Lacking transportation they had to hire a cab to get the rest of the way back to their motel. Their room only had two beds and, while Sam was amenable to taking the couch, it wasn't likely to be a fair fit for his size and Baby was more inclined to a little privacy. Conveniently the room next to theirs was unoccupied so Sam went down to rent it while Dean made his calls. Bobby had a few ideas but none seemed a dead fit. Bobby said he'd do a bit of research and call them if he came up with anything. In the mean time, they still had a case to work and a hard trail to follow after today's events.
