Title: Family Is A Sacred Bond.
Summary: "Sammy, Dean... You guys are my brothers. I love you; don't ever doubt that." After a huge fight with her father, Ashley Winchester moves away to Georgia, but when her brother Dean comes knocking with Sam in tow, she joins them to help find their father. [Starts in season 1].
Rating: T for paranoia.
Pairings: Follows the show with very (non) subtle hints of Destiel later, and maybe Ashley/Castiel.
Author's Note: So, this chapter is better than the last one... I hope. I'm such a terrible writer! Seriously, I need to get my mojo back. I used to be good, and then my talent disappeared. Oh well, we can't have everything, can we?
I'm sorry for not getting this up sooner, but I was so torn as to whether to continue or not :/
And, also, Ashley's face claim is Holland Roden because she's perf :)
And, thank you to my amazing beta, SkittleMachine! :D
Enjoy, review, love you all!
Love,
Kathy xoxo
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Sam sighed, giving in. "What was he hunting?" He asked, hands in his pockets. Dean's eyes flicked towards the car, and then back to Sam.
"Later. Come on, we gotta go get Ashley," he smirked, patting Sam on the shoulder. Sam frowned and watched his brother.
"Wait, you're bringing Ashley into this as well? You know what happened between her and dad as well as I do. Do you really think she's gonna help?" Sam said doubtfully, raising his eyebrows. Dean stopped for a moment, and then turned around to face his brother, tilting his head to the side in confusion.
"How do you know what happened?" He questioned Sam, walking towards him. Sam looked at the ground, shuffling his feet.
"Because she came to me the night it happened. I'd just moved in with Jess when she turned up at our door, crying her eyes out because of what dad said." He murmured, pursing his lips. Dean nodded slowly.
"Well, she's in Georgia at the moment, so we need to get going," Dean breathed out, leaning against his car, arms folded over his chest. Sam rolled his eyes, but walked back into the building, trudging up the stairs and into his apartment. He closed the door behind him and watched as Jess frowned at him.
"Are you okay?" She asked worriedly, going to stand in front of her boyfriend, laying a comforting hand on his chest.
Sam stayed quiet for a moment before shaking his head. "No."
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"That's $1.50, please," Ashley spoke kindly to the woman in front of her. The woman handed her the money, and smiled at Ashley. "Thank you." The woman then turned and left, and Ashley sighed. She hated working on Saturday mornings, and today just felt even more depressing than usual. She used to love Saturdays, and now she hated them. All she did on Saturdays was work, work, and then a little more work. Since when was she the working type?
She heard her next customer walk up to the counter, but she couldn't bring herself to lift her head to look at the person.
"Can I get a little sister and a road trip?"
Ashley froze, her jaw dropping. She looked up immediately and saw her two brothers standing in front of her, both smiling. "Dean? Sammy?" She asked gleefully, hopping up onto the counter, swinging her legs round so that she was standing next to Dean. She grinned and threw her arms around him. "What are you doing here?" She let go of Dean and went to hug Sam.
"Well..." Dean paused for a minute, scratching the back of his neck uneasily. Ashley raised her eyebrows sceptically. "Dad's gone missing. And I mean properly missing." They all went quiet for a moment; none of them knew exactly what to say.
"And you want me to come with you and find him?" She mused. Dean was about to say something, but decided against it and nodded. She sighed and clicked her tongue, debating whether to go with her brothers or not. On one hand, she could not go, and they could possibly get killed and never find their dad, but on the other, she could go, save their asses if they were in danger, possibly get killed, and maybe find their dad, even though she hadn't spoken to her dad in little over a year since their... argument. "Okay, I'll come with you." Dean sighed in relief and grabbed her, picking her up off her feet, hugging her tightly while she laughed.
"You're amazing!" He exclaimed, his voice muffled by her leather jacket. She giggled once more before patting his head playfully.
"You know it. Put me down, you maniac," she pouted. He smirked and put her down, ruffling her hair. She glared at him while Sam just laughed at the deadly look on her face. She straightened her hair and took Sam's hand. They walked outside, and clambered into Dean's beloved car, Ashley in the back, Sam in the passenger seat. "Let's go."
Dean nodded, the engine revved, and they were off.
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"Um... Waffles. Alright, Sam, your turn," Ashley smiled as the car sped down the long, empty road. Sam sighed, thinking for a moment, before he spoke.
"Uh, bacon or chicken?" Sam asked. Whenever they used to go on road trips before Sam and John had their fight, Ashley, Dean and Sam always tried to pass the time by playing silly childish car games. It was a past time, but they couldn't seem to break the habit.
"Bacon," Dean answered instantly. "Crispy, delicious, chewy bacon." He smacked his lips together, making Ashley and Sam laugh. The car was silent for a few seconds.
"Hey, can we stop and grab a bite?" Ashley said, causing Sam to laugh again. Truth be told, if Sam looked up to anyone, it was Ashley. She was strong, fierce, and almost care-free. She knew how to have fun, but she would always let you talk about your problems. She wouldn't tell you to stop complaining, she'd just sit there with a sympathetic look on her face and then she'd comfort you as best she could.
When Sam was fourteen and going on his first hunt, sixteen year old Ashley had protected him and told him exactly what to do while Dean and John ran straight into the problem. Ashley had almost gotten herself killed on a hunt once. Sam was fifteen, and they were all in Carson City, Nevada hunting a vengeful spirit. Sam had been cornered and Ashley had jumped on the thing. It got it away from Sam, but it threw Ashley into – actually, she went right through – a wall, and ended up with a severe concussion and a broken arm. Sam had tried to apologise, but Ashley had kept insisting that she was fine.
"Sam! What, are you away with the fairies or something?" Dean joked, pulling Sam back into reality.
"Uh, yeah. Sorry," he chuckled, looking at his feet. Ashley smiled and gasped, launching forward to reach over the seat and turn the radio up full blast. Sam and Dean cringed a little at first, but quickly got used to it.
"I love this song!" She exclaimed, nodding her head in time with the beat. "Johnny used to work on the dot! Union's been on strike, he's down on his luck, it's tough... so tough. Gina works the diner all day! Workin' for her man, she brings home her pay for love... Mmm, for love. She said we gotta hold on to what we got! It doesn't make a difference if we make it or not! We've got each other, and that's a lot, for love, we'll give it a shot!"
Dean joined in with her on the chorus, tapping his hand on the wheel. "Oh! We're half way there! Oh, oh! Livin' on a prayer! Take my hand, we'll make it, I swear! Oh, oh! Livin' on a prayer!"
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"Whoa, Dean, look," Ashley called out from the backseat as they drove past an old looking, wooden bridge. Dean frowned a little and pulled the car over to the side of the road. There were police cars blocking the view of the bridge, with the officers watching the cars.
"FBI badge. You guys got one?" Dean asked, glancing back at Ashley, and then to Sam, who shook his head.
"I have one," Ashley answered, rooting around in her apron pocket. Dean's eyebrows shot up almost immediately.
"You keep your FBI badge in your work apron?" He said, smirking doubtfully. Ashley shrugged and mirrored his smirk with one of her own.
"Just because I left doesn't mean I didn't want to hunt. I worked a few cases of my own," she murmured, shrugging. Dean smiled proudly, and got out the car, Sam and Ashley following him. They walked past the parked police cars, glancing around occasionally.
"...this kid, Troy, he was dating your daughter, wasn't he?" One of the police officers asked the other one. The three of them stopped, just listening in to the officer's conversation for a moment or two.
"Yeah," the other officer replied, eyes still scanning the car.
"How's Amy doing?"
"She's putting up missing posters down town."
"You fellas had another one like this last month, didn't you?" Dean spoke up, walking slowly over towards the edge of the bridge, Ashley and Sam walking closely behind him.
"And who are you?" The first police officer asked, raising his eyebrows sceptically. Both Dean and Ashley pulled out their badges and held them up.
"Federal Marshals," Ashley said, putting her badge away.
The officer frowned. "You three are a little young for Marshals, aren't you?" Dean chuckled throatily.
"Thanks, that's awfully kind of you," he joked, walking past the officer. "You did have another one just like this, correct?" Dean asked again as he studied the car.
"That's right. 'Bout a month ago, a mile up the road. And there have been other before that," the officer answered.
"So, this victim, you knew him?" Sam questioned, frowning. Ashley went over to the car, peering inside it. There were blood splatters on the windows, the keys were still in the engine, and there were a couple of CDs shoved in a small compartment.
The police and her brothers kept talking, but Ashley drowned out the conversation as her eyes zeroed in on something. She reached into the car and picked up what looked like piece of white cloth that was dirty, very worn out, and smelt terrible. Ashley pulled a face and stuck the piece of cloth in her apron pocket.
She stood up and looked over to where her brothers were still talking. "Thanks for your time," Sam said, and began walking back towards the car while Ashley and Dean followed him. Sam walked in front shaking his head, and Dean came up behind him, whacking him round the head with his badge. Sam flinched. "Ow," he complained through gritted teeth. "What was that for?"
"Why'd you have to step on my foot?" Dean practically whined. Ashley was trailing behind, but she couldn't help but laugh lightly at her brothers' childish behaviour.
"Why'd you have to talk to the police like that?" Sam retorted. Dean stepped in front of Sam.
"Come on. They don't really know what's going on," Ashley came and stood next to Sam, watching Dean. "We're all alone on this. I mean, if we're gonna find dad we've gotta get to the bottom of this thing ourselves." Ashley smiled, kind of lopsided, and winked at her older brother, who winked right back at her.
Dean opened his mouth to say something, but a shrill ringing interrupted them. Ashley's phone vibrated in her pocket, and she pulled it out, answering it quickly. "Hello?"
"Ashley freaking Winchester, where the hell are you? I have called the coffee shop, like, a hundred times, and they had no idea where you were? I am freaking out over here, where are you?!"Ashley's best friend, Gemma, yelled over the phone. Ashley squeezed her eyes shut, scrunching her face up tightly.
"Gemma, I am so sorry. Listen, I meant to call, but, Sam and Dean showed up; my dad went on a hunting trip and he hasn't come back. I'm trying to find him and his buddies, so I may be a while. So, do me a favour, look after Lou-Lou and don't forget to feed Lexie her worming tablet. Just crush it up and put it in her food; she shouldn't notice it, but if she does there a little tub of cream, just put that on the back of her neck, okay? Okay, love you, bye!" Ashley explained quickly, and hung up, shoving her phone back into her jean pocket. She sighed and rubbed her temples.
"Everything okay?" Sam asked, looking down at his sister, a concerned look on his face. She nodded, putting her hands back down by her sides.
"Yeah, just my flatmate checking up on me," she smiled, still nodding. "She's just worried." Dean raised his eyebrows sceptically.
"Who are Lou-Lou and Lexie?"
"My pets; Lou-Lou is my Yorkie, and Lexie is my Chihuahua," she said.
Dean nodded and turned and kept on walking. "Right, let's go solve this thing."
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The three Winchester's walked down the street, all of them scanning the crowds, noticing a few other things, like the marquee on the Theatre; it read: Emergency Town Hall Meeting, Sunday 8pm, Be Safe Out There.
A little way down the street, Ashley also noticed a young girl, a bunch of posters in her hand, as she stuck one up on the wall.
"Hey, I bet that's her," Ashley said to her brothers, nodding towards the girl. After studying her for a moment, they all walked up to her. The posters in her hand had a huge banner: 'MISSING TROY SQUIRE'.
"You must be Amy," Dean announced himself as they reached her.
"Yeah," she answered bluntly, not looking up at them. They all shared a brief glance.
"Yeah, Troy told us about you. We're his uncles... and aunt. I'm Dean; this is Sammy, and Ashley." Dean introduced them all. Ashley smiled kindly, wringing her hands together. For some reason, Amy reminded Ashley of herself when she was younger. That punky look she'd always wore as a teenager when she was going through her rebellious stage.
"He never mentioned you to me," she said, finally turning her head to look at them. Ashley could feel her phone buzzing in her back pocket, but she ignored it. It had been ringing ever since she hung up on Gemma, so it had to be her. Amy began to walk away, so they all followed her down the street.
"Well, that's Troy, I guess. We're not around much, we're up in Modesto," Dean lied smoothly. Ashley rolled her eyes at the mention of Modesto. It was where her and Dean and John had hunted a spirit, but not a vengeful one, just a confused one, and it could read minds somehow, and it blurted out that Ashley was wearing guys boxer briefs, and Dean had swore to never let her forget that.
"So, uh, yeah, we're kinda looking for Troy too, and we were asking around for information," Ashley said, quickly changing the subject. Another young girl came up to Amy and put her hand on the girls arm.
"Hey, are you okay?" The girl asked Amy, who nodded.
"Yeah," she muttered, and then turned back to look at the Winchesters. Sam shifted on his feet slightly.
"You mind if we ask you a couple of questions?" He asked. Amy just nodded and motioned for them to follow her. Ashley quickly held Sam back for a moment.
"I need to make a few calls; fill me in when you get back?" She told him.
"Yeah, sure," he said, smiling. She smiled back at him and he walked off after Amy and Dean. Ashley sighed and pulled out her phone, dialling Gemma's number. She picked up after the first ring.
"Ash! You can't just hang up on me like that! Seriously! Jeez, I'm going out of my mind; where are you?" Gemma yelled hurriedly down the phone. Ashley sighed quietly.
"I'm in Jericho, California, working a case," she muttered. There was silence on the other end of the phone.
"I'm guessing you want me send you all your fake IDs and some clothes and whatnot, right?" Gemma said, as if she were having a hard time getting out the words. In actual fact, it had only been a few weeks since Gemma had found out about Ashley's past, and what she did for a living, but she was handling it surprisingly well. A skin-walker had been wondering around the area, and had attacked Gemma, but Ashley had killed it before it killed Gemma.
"If you don't mind. I'll message you the details of the motel later, okay?" Ashley smiled, grateful for her best friend and flatmate.
"Ugh, the things I do for you, Ashley Henrietta Winchester. I swear, you're ageing me daily!" Gemma complained in a whiny tone. Ashley just laughed.
"Look, I gotta go. I need to call Eric, okay?" Ashley said, a chuckle still ringing in her voice.
"Okay. No phone sex, got it?" Gemma joked. Ashley gasped in outrage.
"Gemma! Ew! Eric is a friend, okay?" She assured her, but of course, her best friend was having absolutely none of it.
"Whatever. Bye!" And, then she hung up. Ashley shook her head, wondering how she could possibly, after all she'd done and all she knew, that she would have normal, real, weird best friends that she could always count on. Growing up, she'd made a couple of friends when she'd been working a case with her family, but they weren't real friends like Gemma and Eric were.
Ashley called Eric's mobile, and smiled when he picked up. "Hey, kiddo, what's up?"His husky voice drawled.
"Uh, I'm working a case, and I need my weapons. Could you send them with the stuff Gemma's sending?" She asked, shifting her weight onto her other foot. She heard shuffling from the other end of the phone.
"Okay, sure. Uh, sorry, I've, uh, got company,"he murmured, and she could practically taste the embarrassment, but she laughed anyway.
"Please don't tell me it's the Rita skank," she begged as she walked over to lean against a lamp post.
"Nah, it's, uh, Stephanie."
Ashley rolled her eyes. "Stephanie? Ugh, okay, whatever, see you soon. Bye!"
"See ya, Ash," and, just like Gemma, he hung up immediately.
"You done?" Dean's voice came from beside her. She looked up and nodded, smiling. "Come on, I'll explain on the way." He put his hand on her back and guided her back towards the car.
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"Let me try," Sam groaned, reaching for the computer. Dean slapped his hand away, but Sam rolled Dean's chair out of the way. Ashley looked on at the scene from where she was standing, looking up local folklore, but so far she'd found absolutely nothing at all.
All of a sudden, one book caught her eye. It was nothing to do with anything, but the cover of the book drew her in. The book was titled: Angels, the real thing.The image on the front was a normal man in a suit and tie, but behind him, he had huge wings casting an even bigger shadow. Ashley herself didn't really believe in angels, or God, or anything like that. The only thing she had faith in was her family.
"Yo, Ashley!" Dean whispered loudly. Ashley put the book down and went over to her brothers.
"Found something?" She asked, pulling up a chair, and leaning over Sam's shoulder, eyes scanning the computer screen. Her eyes stopped when she saw a picture of a pretty woman. The picture was grey, so it was obviously quite old.
"Constance Welch. Left her kids alone in the bath, and when she came back, they were both dead. Hours later, she takes the swan dive off the bridge where Troy was killed," Sam explained. Ashley nodded slowly.
"So, what? We're dealing with an angry spirit? That's it? But why is she only going for men? What have they got to do with anything?" She mused. Sam and Dean went quiet for a moment. "Maybe... maybe Mr. Joseph Welch isn't as innocent as he seems. Maybe, we're dealing with a woman in white."
Dean started at her in amazement. "How do you do that?" Ashley merely shrugged, smirking proudly.
"Woman's intuition, I guess," she uttered under her breath. Sam laughed at her, while Dean rolled his eyes, standing up.
"Come on, then," he grunted, beckoning his siblings to follow him, and they did. "So, Ash, never got a chance to ask you; how's life in Georgia?"
"It's amazing, actually. I have my close friends, and then I have my pets, which actually mean more to me than my friends," she paused to laugh. "Uh, Gemma's cool. I met her at the coffee shop where I work, and we've been best friends ever since, and then she introduced me to Eric, and now we're kind of a trio, I guess."
Dean almost looked sad for a moment, but he soon composed himself. "Well, sounds perfect," he muttered, sounding annoyed. Ashley stopped in her tracks, her jaw dropped as she looked at Dean in astonishment.
"Excuse me? Dean, are you really gonna act like a freakin' child about this?!" She exclaimed. Dean didn't say anything; he just kept walking, completely ignoring Ashley. She turned to look at Sam, who looked just as shocked as she did. She ran after Dean, calling his name. "Dean! Come on, talk to me!" She grabbed onto his jacket, and pulled him around to look at her. "Talk to me... Why are you acting like this?"
Dean kept silent for a minute, pursing his lips. "After Sam left, dad took it real hard. Even if he didn't show it, I knew it. And then you left after the things you two said... he was pretty much broken. All he did was hunt. He was actin' crazy." Ashley looked down. Of course. That was how John dealt with things; he hunted. And especially after the huge fight they'd had... God knows how he had been acting. "But it wasn't just dad. I lost you and Sam, too. You know, we were like a team, and then you both just took off, and I was left on my own."
Guilt welled up in Ashley's heart, and she was rendered speechless. Sam looked away, feeling the same, and everyone just stayed silent for a minute.
"I'm so sorry," she mumbled, stepping forward, wrapping her arms around his waist. He hesitated for a moment before hugging her back.
"Just... don't do it again," he replied. She nodded against his chest. Dean, Ashley and Sammy had always been a team; that much was true. They'd die for each other in an instant, and Sam remembered when he first started hunting, his big brother and sister had always hovered over him and protected him, and Ashley remembered the same when she started out. Dean would put himself in front of her when they were in danger.
They let go of each other, and Sam gave Ashley a small smile over Dean's shoulder. She smiled back, turning and walking.
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"Well... this is friggin' creepy," Ashley muttered as she and her brothers walked along the bridge where Troy had disappeared. It was pitch black, and she could hardly see in front of her.
"Creepy's in the job description," Dean chuckled, as they all walked over to the edge. "So, this is where Constance took the swan dive." They all peered over the edge of the bars, looking down onto the murky, black water. Ashley raised her eyebrows sceptically, pursing her lips into a tight line. She glanced at each of her brothers before continuing to walk down the road, the heels on her boots clicking, creating small echoes.
"So, you think dad would've been here?" Sam mused out loud. Dean and Ashley looked at him sideways. Ashley absentmindedly began fiddling with her silver cross necklace, the one her dad had given her when she was thirteen years old.
"Well, he must be chasing the same thing, right?" Ashley answered him, shrugging slightly. Sam nodded, chewing on the inside of his cheek. Dean continued walking down the bridge, Sam trailing him, while Ashley just stayed where she was. She was always the day dreamer of her family, and everyone knew it. In fact, if she'd never become a hunter, she always thought she would like to be a singer or an actress. Whenever Sam couldn't sleep, she used to sing to him. Granted it was rock songs she'd turned into lullabies, but it worked anyway, and Dean would sit and listen to her sing.
When they were all young, they were all pretty close. They were the Three Musketeers, but when Sam left, the connection between Ashley and Dean was always prickly until she left, and she spoke to Dean once every two months if he was lucky.
She sighed aloud and turned around, just in time to see Dean slam Sam against a beam. She panicked and ran over. "Dean!" She yelled as she reached them. She didn't do anything physically, but she glared at her older brother. Eventually, he let go of Sam, but he didn't take his eyes off him.
"Don't talk about her like that," Dean said warningly to Sam, before walking off. Ashley took a deep breath and put a hand on Sam's shoulder, asking if he was okay with her eyes. He just nodded and they went after Dean, who seemed to be in a trance. "Guys." He muttered. Sam and Ashley followed Dean's gaze to the edge of the bridge where they saw a woman – Constance Welch – standing, staring at them blankly, until she let herself fall forwards off the edge. The three of them ran over the edge, peering over, but they saw nothing.
An engine revved loudly behind them. Dean's car. "Uh, Dean... Please tell me someone is driving your car," Ashley said, stepping backwards. Dean reached into his pocket and pulled out his keys. Ashley swallowed. "Yeah, thought so." And then they ran. The car chased them down the road, which seemed almost endless. "Guys! Edge!" Ashley shouted, swerving herself to the side and jumping over the side of the bridge, followed by her brothers.
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About three minutes passed before the engine finally stopped, and silence fell. Ashley gripped onto the pole tightly and heaved herself up onto a small platform. "Sam! Dean!" She called out.
"Here," Sam grunted, hauling himself up next to her. "Dean!" It was a few seconds before they heard muffled grunts, and saw a dirty, brown figure crawling up onto the bank. Ashley pursed her lips to keep herself from laughing. He flopped down onto his back, looking severely pissed off.
"What?!" He yelled angrily. Sam chuckled quietly.
"You okay down there, honey?" Ashley mocked, smirking.
"I'm super," he panted. Both Sam and Ashley laughed and scooted away from the edge.
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While Dean and Sam sat on the bonnet of the Impala, Ashley looked through the weapons in the trunk. While she was doing so she heard Dean scream "what a bitch!" loudly. She rolled her eyes, knowing that Dean was talking about her 'harming' his precious car, and so decided to ignore him.
As she sift through the stuff, she came across her old gun that John had bought her as a birthday present for her twelfth, just a few months after she had learnt to shoot. He had been so proud of her. But, normally, it always seemed that John was doing his best to avoid her. She felt like he always loved her least out of the three of them, and no one would ever understand how much that hurt. As a child, she longed for the attention of her father, but he was always too busy with either hunting or something else. She liked to think that if her life had been normal, she would've been a daddy's girl, but, of course her life was far from normal.
She sighed and tucked the gun into the waist of her black jeans, and walked back round the front of the car. Sam turned to face Dean. "You smell like a toilet," he joked, trying to hide his smirk. Ashley let out a un-lady like snort at the snide comment, and immediately covered her mouth with her hand where she continued to snigger quietly.
"Shut up," Dean mumbled under his breath, climbing off the bonnet and getting into the car. Ashley and Sam waited for a moment, trying to calm their smiles, before they followed Dean and clambered into the Impala.
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Dean and Sam walked into the lobby of the local motel, Dean still covered in dirt, while Ashley waited outside, quickly typing the name of the motel to Gemma and Eric. She hit send on the message, and began leafing through her emails; one from her phone company, one from her friend in Nevada, and three from the coffee shop where she worked. She decided to look at the message from her friend in Nevada, and she read;
Ashley,
So, hi :) Long time no speak, right? Sorry about that; I've been super busy going through the divorce. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that a guy came through looking for you, and he said his name was Jamie. What's that about? Jamie Hurt. Know him? If you do, please tell me just so I know he's not some serial killer stalking you, okay?
Come back around when you've got the chance, yeah? I miss you :)
Love, Lea xxx
Huh.
Jamie. Of course. He was a hunter she'd met in Georgia while she was working on a case of a witch who was trying to get revenge on her ex-husband. They'd had a brief fling, but then parted ways as friends. So, why was he looking for her? She dismissed it, and typed a sort reply to Lea.
Lea, don't worry about it. Jamie's and old friend of mine who I haven't seen in a while. Speak soon :) Miss you too!
Ash xxx
She put her phone away as Dean and Sam stepped out of the lobby. "Apparently dad checked in here and bought out room. For a month," Dean informed her before she could say anything. Her eyebrows shot up, and she nodded slowly. "C'mon."
They walked until they reached a door, which Dean stopped at and put the key in the lock, and opened the door to reveal a dirty, abandoned room. There was a half-eaten burger on the side, and one wall was covered with pictures, writings, drawings, newspaper articles, and some other stuff that just looked like mad ramblings.
"Hey, Ash," Sam called from further in the room. He was looking at something on the wall. Ashley walked over to him. "You were right. Dad figured it out, too." Sam was staring at the same article that they had looked at earlier, and above it was a label, and in big bold letters three words were written: WOMAN IN WHITE.
"Oh, baby, I'm good," Ashley drawled, shaking her head and chewing on the inside of her cheek. Sam let out a breathy chuckle, nudging her playfully. She elbowed him lightly in the ribs. "But, hang on, wouldn't dad have found the corpse and destroyed it?" She asked as Dean came and stood on the other side of her.
"She might have another weakness," Sam suggested, looking down at Ashley. She merely shrugged.
"Hmm," Dean hummed, "does it say where she's buried?" Ashley's eyes scanned the wall for a moment, but she shook her head.
"Not that I can see," she murmured. "But, if I were dad, I would've gone to see her husband. He should still be alive."
"Alright, see if you can find an address. I'm gonna go get cleaned up," Dean said, and went to walk out of the room.
"Hey, Dean," Sam says, stopping Dean in his tracks. Dean turned around to face Sam while Ashley looked on at her brothers. "What I said earlier about mom and dad, I'm sorry–" Dean held up a hand, cutting him off.
"No chick-flick moments," he warned. Ashley shook her head, smiling. Sam chuckled lightly.
"Alright. Jerk."
"Bitch."
"Freaks," Ashley coughed under her breath, holding back a laugh. Sam jabbed her with his elbow, and in return she swatted him on the shoulder. Dean rolled his eyes and walked off. Sam began to walk around the room, and stopped when he saw an old photo. It was him on John's lap, Dean sitting beside them, and Ashley leaning on the side of the car. They weren't very old in the photo. "Hey, Sam, I'm gonna get some shut eye." Ashley said, yawning softly. Sam turned and nodded, and then turned back to the picture.
Ashley clambered into one of the two beds and pulled the sheet over her. She didn't care that she was still fully clothed; she was used to going to bed like that. After a few minutes, she could barely keep her eyes open, so she let sleep consume her.
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"Shh, it's okay," the girl whispered, stroking Ashley long, strawberry blonde hair while she wept. "It's all going to be okay." Ashley looked up at the girl through her wet eyelashes. The girl's hair was vibrant red, and she was gorgeous as well, and seemed to have this light glowing around her.
"But, Anna, I–"Ashley began, but the girl – Anna – put a finger to her lips.
"It's okay. They'll never know," she leaned forward so that they were cheek to cheek. "Just drink." She put something in Ashley's hand, and she looked down to see a vile, filled to the brim with blood. Popping of the lid, she took in a deep, long breath before downing the thick liquid.
As she drank, a shrill wailing noise filled her ears, and as she looked up, Anna had transformed into a blinding white light, coming closer, and closer, and closer.
"Ashley!"
Throwing her eyes open, Ashley gasped, shooting up straight, breathing heavily. That was the third time she'd had that dream and it still confused her to the brink of insanity. "Ashley, come on, we gotta go!" Sam whispered hurriedly. She clambered out of the bed, stumbling slightly. By the door, she saw a bag, with a note stuck to the handle. Figuring it must be the stuff Gemma and Eric sent her, she grabbed the bag and followed Sam to where he was climbing out of the small bathroom window. He scrapped her back on the window ledge, and winced quietly, but ignored it, and grabbed Sam's forearm, running towards the Impala.
"Sam, keys," she said as she went round the driver's side. Sam reached into his pocket and chucked her the keys. They both got in the car. "Did you get that address?" She asked, shoving the keys into the engine, and staring up the car.
"Yeah, I got it. Just go," he murmured, chucking their bags onto the back seat. She nodded, and drove off, onto the main road.
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"Come on," Ashley muttered under her breath as her and Sam stood outside Joseph Welch's house, waiting for him to open the door. Eventually, a beer-bellied, tired looking man opened the door.
"Hi, are you Joseph Welch?" Sam asked, his voice soft. The man studied them both for a moment.
"Yeah," he said simply.
"Can we talk to you?" Ashley bit impatiently, folding her arms over her chest. To be honest, Dean was her main concern right now, and she didn't want to be messing about with some ghost bitch.
"Sure," he murmured, walking outside and shutting his door behind him. They walked with him, and Sam passed him a picture of the four of them; her, Sam, Dean and John from a camping trip when she was six years old.
"The man in this picture, have you seen him?" Sam question, pointing to John.
"Yeah, he was older, but that's him," Joseph handed the photo back to Sam. "Came by three of four days ago; said he was a reporter."
"Yeah," Ashley spoke up, "we're working on an article together. We're his...," she pursed her lips, "interns." Joseph nodded slowly.
"Well, I don't know what the hell kinda story you're working on. The questions he asked me..." He rambled.
"About your wife, Constance?" Sam said, just to make sure.
"He asked me where she was buried?"
"And where was that again?"
Ashley stood quietly, watching the scene in front of her, wondering whether or not to just straight out ask Joseph if he'd been unfaithful to his wife, just to hurry this along.
"What I gotta go through this twice?" He asked, sounding quite annoyed.
"Fact-checking," Ashley told him. "We just wanna go over it again quickly." He seemed to be debating whether or not to answer, but he nodded.
"In a plot, behind my old place over on Breckenridge."
"And why'd you move?" Sam pitched in.
"I'm not gonna live in the house where my children died," Joseph answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Both Sam and Ashley stopped walking, as did Joseph.
"Mr. Welch, did you ever marry again?" Sam's voice was softer and kinder than before. Ashley imagined it was because he didn't want to upset Joseph.
"No way. Constance was the love of my life. Prettiest woman I ever known," his face seemed to lighten as he talked about her, but there were shadows as well; sorrow and loss. Ashley began to feel a little sorry for him, but she urged herself to remember that Joseph had cheated on Constance and created a monster.
"You had a happy marriage, then, yes?" Ashley grilled. Joseph hesitated for what felt like forever, before he finally spoke again.
"Definitely," his voice was a little shaky and he stammered slightly, which made Ashley raise her eyebrows suspiciously.
"Hmm," she hummed. "Mr. Welch, you ever hear of a, uh, Woman in White? Or a Weeping Woman?" She asked, looking him straight in the eye. Sam frowned down at her for a few moments.
"A what?" Joseph spluttered.
"It's a ghost phenomenon," she tilted her head slightly. "Spirits that have been seen for hundreds of years all over America. They're all different women, though they share the same back story."
"Sweetheart, I don't care much for nonsense," he chuckled dryly, waving her off. He went to walk away, but she kept on talking.
"When they were alive their husbands were unfaithful bastards."
Joseph stopped in his tracks and turned around slowly, looking almost horror-stricken.
"They suffered from temporary insanity, and they murdered their children, and then killed themselves when they realised what they'd done. After they die, their spirits are cursed, and they walk down back-roads, and waterways looking for unfaithful men. If they're unfaithful, they kill him and they're never seen again." She finished her little story, a smug, nearly disgusted, accusing look on her face.
"You think... you think that has something to do with... Constance? You smartass!" He yelled at her, pointing his finger.
"You tell us," Sam spoke up.
"I mean, maybe... maybe I made some mistakes, but no matter what I did... Constance, she would never have killed her own children. Now, get the hell outta here, and don't come back!" His face shook. Either from anger of grief, it was impossible to tell.
Ashley sighed and glanced quickly at Sam who gave her a small shrug, before getting in the car.
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"I got an idea," Ashley mumbled, pulling her phone out of her pocket, as she swerved the car over to the side of the road. Sam raised his eyebrows, but didn't question her while she dialled 911 and held the phone to her ear.
"911, what's your emergency?" A man's voice spoke.
"I need help!" Ashley faked sobbed. "There's a man with a gun! He–" She cut herself off, whipping out her gun and firing it into the air a couple of times. "He's just shooting, but I can't see what he's shooting at!" She peered at the closest sign, just down the street. "I'm at Whiteford Road."
"Okay, Miss, don't panic. We're sending someone now. Just stay calm," the man spoke in his monotone voice.
"Okay, thank you," she whispered, and then hung up and turned to Sam grinning. "Fake 911 phone call. Should give Dean some time to get out. You go to the old house, I'll go meet Dean and explain what's happening." She tossed him the keys as he nodded. She took off, jogging down the road. "Be careful!" She yelled over her shoulder just as Sam was climbing into the car. He chuckled quietly and drove off.
Ashley jogged for a few minutes until she heard police sirens, so she dived behind a bush and waited for them to pass. When they eventually did, she was nearing the town, and the police station. She quick walked passed all the shops and smiled when she spotted Dean walking out of the alleyway next to the station. Crossing the road, a car honked her, but she didn't stop, she ran straight the Dean and smiled. "Hey," she breathed.
"Fake 911 phone call," he observed, nodding. "I dunno, Ash, that's pretty illegal." She laughed, swatting him lightly on the arm.
"You're welcome," she chuckled sarcastically. "So, listen, Joseph wasunfaithful and we are definitelydealing with a Woman in White. She's buried behind her old house. Sam's heading there now, but that should've been dad's next stop, right? But why hasn't he destroyed the corpse. He–" Dean stopped her, holing up a hand.
"Ash, would you just shut up for a second?" He bit out more harshly than he intended. She narrowed her eyes slightly, but didn't say anything else. "Dad left Jericho." He told her. She frowned, biting down on her lip.
"How'd you know?" She asked quietly. Dean reached into his jacket and pulled out John's old journal; the one he ever went anywhere without. "Dad's journal..." She muttered to herself. "He never goes anywhere without that thing."
"Well, he did this time," Dean said, clearing his throat and tucking the journal back inside his jacket.
"Did it say anything?"
"Same old ex-Marine crap when he wants to let us know where he's going."
"Co-ordinates... To where?"
"I'm not sure yet."
"I am... so confused at the moment. What could be that important that dad would just up and leave in the middle of a job. What the hell?" She mused, more to herself. Sighing, she pulled out her phone. "I need to call Sam. See where he is."
Sam picked up on the fourth ring. "Hey."
"Hey, so dad left Jericho without his journal. It has co-ordinates in it, but we're not sure where they lead to yet." She explained in one breath. Sam sighed on the other end, but it was cut short when he heard Sam yell, the brakes squeal, and then a thump. "Sam? Sammy! Sam!" She yelled, but got no response. There was silence for a few short minutes, but then...
"Take me home."
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Author's Note #2:I had to cut it there or my fingers are gonna shrivel up and die. I hope that wasn't too boring and I hope it was better than the last chapter. Sorry for the wait. I'll update a.s.a.p.
I love you all!
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