She was the sister of a friend, of an uncle to a cousin of an inlaw, or not. They had tried to figure it out once but, all that came of it was more confusion and a headache. This she kindly treated with a soft, cold cloth.
Over the next several years, until their father felt they were old enough to be left on their own, she often cared for them. Most of the time she was at Bobby's place but, on occasion, they found her waiting with Pastor Jim.
They thought back to the first time they went to her.
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They were on a job, an unfortunate miscalculation of a job, and Dean paid the price. He had to be the sacrifice; he had to protect his little brother. Now, it was Sam's job to fix him. This was the part Dean always forgot.
His injuries weren't life threatening or requiring any standard medical attention. He was suffering the after effects of a spell and needed a private place to let it play out.
According to the lore, Dean's behavior would be normal in about forty eight hours. However, the random fits of ranting and destruction would never be tolerated in any public place.
Sam called Bobby. They were days away from him so, he directed them somewhere closer. It was secluded and there would be someone there to help. They could take care of themselves, Sam told him. Then Bobby spoke her name.
Sam and Dean both smiled the whole ride there. Well, not the whole ride. There was a short break when Dean had to get out of the car to scream at the top of his lungs while he ripped a mile marker from the side of the road.
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It was a meeting place but, not like the Roadhouse and other similar places. It was bright and warm and comfortable. It was a home. And hunters congregated there. They had boisterous conversations about baseball, politics, even the weather. They talked about anything and everything but never the work.
If there was a mention of monsters, the talk went outside; that was a house rule. In fact, that's how Dean picked up smoking. Standing in the backyard, under the trees, beer in hand, talking shop with the older hunters.
She fed them, washed their clothes and nursed their wounds. She gave them all a safe place to be. Evil never entered there.
