" Emma...Emma are you listening to me?"
"yes?"
"what did i just say?"
"i dont know." She says with a smile. Sam can help but smile at the young girl in the backseat. He watches closely as she play with the string of her hoodie.
" what were you trying to teach her?" Dean askes, not looking up from the road.
" just trying to quiz her on what kills what, and how. if we're going to hunt with her, it'd be nice to know that she know what shes doing."
" But i know what im doing." she says distantly.
" And what are you doing sweet-heart?" Dean askes.
" Im sitting- oh a puppy!" she says excitedly, looking out her window. Dean smiles.
" and your going to trust her with you life?" Sam asks sceptically.
" i trust you dont I?"
" im not ADHD,Mildly schsopherenic."
" so, Pastor Jim says that shes an amazing hunter. And i trust his judgement."
Sam sighs, looking back at charlie, who is humming nervously. He has a feeling that shes hearing stuff. The look on her face instantly says that something is bothering her.
" Dean?" she askes after a few moments.
" Yeah sweet heart?"
" im hungery." she says sweetly, her little episode apearently over.
" and what would you like?"
" Pizza!" She exclaims. Always Pizza. She grins distantly and stares out her window. Dean turns up the music, not much but just enough to get Emma to sing along. And naturally she does, singing along with every song that comes on, beucase somehow she knows them all. And soon everyone in the car is sing at the top of they're lungs. but after a while, a key voice dies out, Emma. staring out straight ahead, he eyes completly vacant. it take quiet a while for either of the brothers to notice.
" Emma?" Sam askes." are you okay?"
Emma doesnt answer, a small whimper escapes her lips. HEr eyes are wide, fearful.
"Dean pull over."
What...why?"
"Emma." Sam says, as if it explaind everything. and it does. Dean whips the car to the shoulder, and jumpes out. Flinging open Emma's door he crouches down next to her. turning her to face him, trying to get her attention. tears stream out of her unseeing eyes. Dean lookes at her with worried eyes, hand on her face. finilly she speaks.
" my fualt...sorry...sorry." she whispers, clamping her eyes shut tight.
" why are you sorry?"
" i killed them...they're dead..."
""killed who?"
But she doesnt answer, she just rockes back and forth. Then dean does the unthinkable, to the girl hes known 2 weeks. he pulles her into his arms. He doesnt say anything. and soon, she quiets rocking, quiets whimpering, he body comepletly relaxing. Dean gets into the back seat, drawing her close before closing the door. then he motions for sam to drive. and soon, both hunters in the back seat were sound asleep.
"Dean..." a soft voice askes, and he grumbles, like he does, and whipes the sleep from his eyes. "Dean...?"
"yeah Emma?" he askes whitout opening his bleary eyes.
" We're stopping for lunch." Sam says from somewhere above him. he groans and gets up, pulling Emma into his lap as he does so.
" where are we?" he askes opening the door, and getting to his feet, So does Emma, shes only by his side for a minute, then shes off, spinning in circles.
" bout 2 hours outside of Toledo." Sam replys putting away his cell phone. Dean groans again and streches.
"Great...just great." Dean yawns and looks around. " Wheres Emma?"
Sam looks up. " Emma?" he asks urgently. "Emma?"
While they were talking, the young girl had wonderd off, and found herway into the diner.
"What would you like Miss?" the older lady behind the counter askes as Emma sits on a stool.
" Pizza!" she says hapily.
" Im sorry dear...but we dont have Pizza."
"No pizza?" she askes sadly." Im Emma! i have ADHD!" she says overly hyper. The older lady, probably in her mid forties, smiles.
" may i Get you something else?"
" No..im waiting for my friends."
The lady looks at her, sympathy on her face. " well, Emma, just let me know if you need anything." and then she heads off to fill other orders. Emma spins in her stool.
" Emma! Dean i found her!" Sam calls running up to Emma, he turns her to face him.
"Hi Sam!"
" dont do that!"
"What?"
"Emma you cant just disapear like that. YOu gave Dean and I heart attacks. What would pastor Jim say to us if we lost you?"
"Emma!" Deans voice breaks over the top of Sams. " You silly girl, you scared the life out of me!"
"Hm?" is all she replys.
DEan sighes and takes a seat next to on her other side. and its not long before the waitress is back, obviously very suprzed that Emma was telling the truth.
Emma smiles vacantly, staring at the wall. Her knee brushes against Deans leg, wether on purpose otherwise, it makes Dean shiver. \
" Emma...it looks like your friends showed up." the woman says handing the trio menues.
"Yup, this is Sam and this is Dean." Emma anounces happily. Sam Mutters a sweet hellow and Dean nods his head, to concous of that fact that Emmas warm knne seems to be buring him through his jeans.
"Well what can i get you three?"
"Pizza!" Emma says excitedly.
" Remember we done have Pizza Emma."
"oh yeah..."
"She'll have a bacon cheese burger, aboslutly no onions, and fries, i'll have the same, but extra onoins." Dean answers for her. She grinns and once again, sam orders a salad.
Emma takes a bite out of her burger, for just a moment she looks almost normal. Dean looks sadly down at his food, before taking a large bite. Emma finishes her food before eitehr sam or dean, and then shes off again, but this time she doesnt leave the restraunt, she sjut wonders around, humming tunefully. Sam and dean look at eachother for a moment before sam speaks.
" Dean? Are you sure about takeing Emma along with us? i mean were still trying to stop the Apocolypse."
" yeah, but Pastor Jim asked us to. and he took care of us so much when we were younger."
" i know, but Emma...not to be mean, but its like having a puppy. You really have to watch her." and as if to prove a point, he looks over at Emma, who is playing with an old jukebox. " i just dont know if this is the right idea right now. Do either of us really know how to take care of a 16 year old girl?"
Dean doesnt answer, he watching Emma, who is desperatly trying to work the jukebox, and becoming more and more frusterated. he gets up and pulls a hand ful of change out of his pocket. HE shows Emma the money, and puts it into the slot. then he lets herpick the song. Back in Black comes on. She grinns up at Dean, her brown eyes distant and shining. Dean brushes a piece of long black hair from her face, a chill runs down her spine, and a very together look crosses her face, but as fast as it came it vanishes.
"Dean? you ready to head out?" Sam calls across the almost empty retruant.
"yeah...lets go." he says pulling away from Emma, who doesnt seem phased by the tension. " Emma... where heading out."
"okay dokey." she bounce happily, taking Deans hand(against his will) and pulls him over to Sam. Sam smiles down at Emma.
" Sam! Are we going for a ride?"
"yes Emma, we're going to Toledo."
Dean pays the bill and follows Sam and Emma out to the impala.
"Dean, can i drive? please?" She turns to the shorter brother. "please?" she pleads again, brown eyes big, trying to puppy him. Dean trys to hold his ground, but he can feel himself reaching for the keys. he pulls them out, and hands them to her.
Before he lets go he askes. " Emma..do you have a drivers licence?"
"uh-hu." he pulls it out of her back pocket.
"Did Pastor Jim make it for you?"
"nope i got it at the DMV!" she says happily. he lets go of his grip on the keys. Emma squeal in excitement. Sam looks at dean in fear. She gets into the driverseat, and pulls on her takes the seat next to her, and sam straps himself in the back. Emma turns the impala on, and waits a second, then puts the vehicle n drive and then they're off down the road. Supriseingly, Emma stays focased on the road. Dean cant help but feel utterly raleaved. Sam on the other hand has ni\ot relaxed at all.
Emma ooks out the window in grim determination, fighting off another wave of panc and terror as her inner voice tells her that shes doing it wrong, teling her that shes the reason they''re dead, that she the reason that sam and dean are gonna die, she fights away the " fit" she knows is trying to break her resolve, her will. Her whole body tenses up as she waits for the flood gates to explode. Dean doesnt seem to notice that anything is wrong. the voice inside tells her, " you knoe your going to kill them, becuase of you they'll die, you cant do anything right..." moment by small moment she can feel the paic rise, her resolve breaking down. Soon there will be nothing left.
she hold on to her sanity, tight, iron like. She keeps driving up the interstate, keeping a constant speed, staying in her lane. Dean looks over at her, and notices the slightly paniced expesssion. Panic washes through him, but a thought crosses him. if he trys to help her now she could loose her concintration and they could all really die.
it takes almost an hour, but the voice in her head subsides. As if to prove shes calmed down, she turns on the radio, to a very modern station, one deans never listend to of hearts by Christina Perri play loud in the 67. and she sings along, low and . Dean watches her from the corner of his eye, she still paying attention to the raod, but she looks so much sainer, so calm. when the song finishes she glances over at Dean before asking.
"where are we going?"
"To Bobbys house." dean answers." we need some help on this."
"But im here to help...Why do we need Uncle Bobby?"
"Becuase bobby has something he wants to tells us."
" thats why there are phones." Charlie states as if they shouldnt go to bobbys. She loved bobby, he was like family to her. But she didnt want to go that far, she didnt really want to deal with the end of the world. Sam and Dean didnt think she quiet understood. But she understood a great deal of it. she wasnt stupid. Dean doesnt respond to her answer. HE just grinns, watching her as she drives. Emma smiles lightly, then focases back on the road. and she stay focased for then next hour and a half, then shes yawning. Dean tells her t pull over. at the next clears spot she does pull over, and switches seat with the oldest winchester boy.