Chapter 2

"You know on TV when there's one of those awkward, shocking moments and all you hear are the crickets in the background? Well chirp fucking chirp… this is one of those moments.''

– Emma Chase.

Selma, California

Groaning when the alarm clock of her watch went off, Makenna opened her eyes with great difficulty and reached to her wrist to stop the noise. She didn't want to wake up, she needed sleep but the Winchesters would be there soon so she had to get up, shower and change before they arrived.

She had just spent ten minutes in the shower, wincing at her bruises from the hunt from the night before. She stepped out of the heat of the bathroom to get dressed. She wore some simple black jeans, a gray tank-top with a blue plaid shirt and her favorite boots. She was starting to pack her things when she heard a knock on her door. She froze, slightly nervous at the idea of being in the same room as Dean Winchester again, took a deep breath and walked towards the door. She opened it quickly only to find herself face to face with a chest. Makenna looked up to see the face of Sam Winchester, smirking down at her. She smiled widely at him, happy to see him after all these years.

"Hello, Mac." He said with a smile.

"Sam!" She exclaimed, hugging him. "Oh my god, you're so tall, that's so unfair!"

Sam chuckled and hugged her back. "You're the one that's too short. It's good to see you, Makenna."

She stepped back to let him walking in her room and that was when she saw him. Dean was behind his brother, his hands in his pockets, looking nervous. He was looking at the ground, shifting his weight on his feet, before raising his head to look into her eyes. Makenna felt her heart starting to race. As she looked back at him, she remembered their fight, the things that they shouted at each other that day and felt sad and irritated. But she also remembered the little boy that helped her mourn her parents, that helped her learn to hunt, that made her laugh and smile. And she missed her best friend, so she looked him in the eyes and offered him a smile.

"Dean, hi." She said.

"Hey, Mac…" He said still unsure. "Look at you, you're all grown up."

"Grown up? Me?" She asked as he stepped inside her room. "I hope I have in seven years." She chuckled.

She closed the door behind them and turned to look at the boys. They were standing here; Sam was looking at the room while Dean was looking at his shoes. Makenna could feel the tension in the room and decided to talk to make them all feel more comfortable.

"Um… Sorry for the mess, I was about to pack when you knocked."

"No, it's fine, don't worry." reassured Sam, smiling at her. "So, you're hunting on your own?" He asked.

"Sam, really?" She asked with amusement. "I'm 25, not five anymore. I can handle myself."

"I'm sure you can, but you look tired."

"Well, I supposed that's what I should look like after only three hours of sleep." She answered, shrugging her shoulders.

"Only three? How can you stand?" Dean spoke for the first time since he walked in the room.

"Honestly, I don't know."

"Well, you can sleep in the car" He told her, attempting another small smile.

Makenna smiled slightly, Dean had always been protective about her, had always wanted to make her feel better when they were friends. She nodded her thanks and looked at her duffle bag that she still had to pack. She walked towards it and quickly began to collect her belongings.

"I just have to pack my things and I'm ready." She told them.

They nodded in agreement and walked about the room, looking at her room. Sam sat on her bed watching his friend and discreetly eyeing his brother. He knew that none of them were fine with the situation, and he could sense the tension in the small room. But he had to admit that they hid it well. Makenna was trying to be welcoming and polite and Dean was trying to be calm and discreet. Sam wasn't sure if it would work out, but he sure hoped so.

He didn't know exactly what had happened that memorable day, he was at Stanford already and wasn't hunting with them anymore. He just knew that they had a big fight. He had called Mac soon after, just as her usually did to ask her how she was doing and, he could tell that she wasn't ok. Something felt off about her. So he asked her what was the matter. She wouldn't tell him until he forced her to tell him what had happened. That time, she broke down in tears on the phone, telling him that she just had lost her best friend. She wouldn't tell him any more details, so he tried to call Dean and asked him subtly what had happened with Makenna. But he wouldn't say a thing either.

The younger Winchester considered Makenna Weston as his sister, she always had been there for him, just like his brother was. And he missed the old times when they all played together in Bobby's backyard. Those were good memories and it broke his heart seeing their relationship broken. He wasn't as close to his brother anymore and after his fight with his father, he couldn't see him as often as he would like to. And even if Makenna had tried to keep touch with him, since her fight with Dean, she was closing up too.

So, deep in his mind, he secretly hoped that this little trip would help them paste the pieces back together.

"So, how is Stanford?" Makenna asked while walking into the bathroom with her duffle bag.

"It's great actually." Sam answered, coming back to reality. "I really like it."

"Good, that's good to hear. And how's Jess?"

"She's fine, confused by Dean's entrance in the middle of the night last night, but she's fine." He smiled when Dean threw him a look.

"In the middle of the night, huh?" Makenna asked, popping her head out of the bathroom to look at the boys.

"It was important." Dean tried to defend himself. "And I wanted to see if Sammy was still good at defending himself."

"Is he?" She asked curiously. Sam looked at her in surprise with false hurt. "What? I'm just checking! We're going to hunt together; you gotta be able to have my back!" She explained with a smile.

"He's bit rusty." Dean smiled. Sam huffed, annoyed at them. They always had been like that. They would always belittle him, though kindly. "Now, now Sammy, don't be sad" Makenna mocked with a cute pout on her lips.

Dean couldn't help but chuckle at that and soon enough Sam broke a smile. Makenna, satisfied that she had been able to remove the tension between them, smiled brightly and disappeared again in the bathroom. When she came back in the room, she was ready.

"Okay guys, I'm ready, let's go."

Dean and Sam nodded and walked out of the motel room. Makenna quickly went to give the key to the office and came back.

"No wait, I've got something in my car." She said.

She walked in the parking lot toward her Buick Rivera '67. Dean stopped when he saw her car. "Wow, this is your car?" He exclaimed, impressed.

"Yep!" She replied proudly, opening the trunk to grab something.

He knew that she had good taste in cars, but he didn't know she actually would drive one of them. Makenna smiled, leaned in her car to grab a smaller bag and then shut the car, walking back to the boys. Dean noticed that she had a journal in her hand. It was her hunter's diary.

"She's a beauty. Bobby's gift for my 21st birthday." She said proudly. "Sadly enough, I going to leave her here."

"You're going to ditch her?" Sam asked, surprised.

"Are you insane? No way I'm ditching her! Bobby's going to bring her back home for me."

"Well, she's pretty, but not as pretty as mine." Dean said when they reach the black Chevy Impala.

Makenna actually stopped in her tracks when she saw the car. She couldn't believe it. She thought she would never see this piece of art again. She spent so much time in that car! It was a part of her life.

"No way." She breathed out slowly. "He gave her to you?" She asked to be sure, walking slowly towards the vehicle.

"Yep. She's mine." Dean said proudly.

"Oh, great. I'm so jealous now." She whined playfully.

Dean laughed at her, proud of his car.

"Okay guys, stop talking about the car and get in!" Sam complained, ready to go.

Makenna looked at him as if he had grown a second head and placed a defensive hand on the door of the Impala. "Don't listen to him, sweetie." She murmured to the car. "He doesn't understand. I missed you."

Sam rolled his eyes, he had actually forgotten how dramatic she could be. She would always play around, jokingly, doing her drama queen impressions. He always complained as if he was annoyed but he secretly enjoyed it. Dean laughed at them and got in the car.

Once they were all inside, they hit the road, and explained briefly to Makenna that they were heading towards Jericho because that was where John was supposed to be hunting last.

"Dad was checking out a blacktop outside of Jericho. A month ago a guy vanished. Ten people have, over the past 20 years, all men, all same 5-mile stretch of road." Dean explained.

"Okay, and John was hunting there, three weeks ago?" Mac asked, thinking about what it could be.

"Yeah, and the night before, I get this voicemail." Dean said. "Sammy, give it to her."

Sam took the recorder and handed it to Makenna in the back seat. She took it and push the play button. Immediately, John's voice came out of it through a lot of static.

"Dean, something is starting to happen, I think it's serious. I need to try to figure out what's going on… Be very careful Dean, we're all in danger."

Makenna frowned at that, this was a very dark warning, and John wasn't usually that dramatic. She looked up to the boys but chose not to point out the gravity of the message, instead she concentrated on the case.

"Okay, what did you get from an EVP of that?" She asked, handing back the recorder to Sam.

Dean smiled slightly, he knew she was good. He let Sam rewinding the voicemail and replayed it for her to ear.

"I can never go home." Said a feminine voice.

"Okay then, let's go to Jericho." Mac said, before a yawn interrupt the end of her sentence.

The boys smiled at her, she was exhausted. Sam turned on his seat to look at her.

"You should sleep now; we'll wake you when we're there."

"Thanks." She smiled, laying down on the seat.

Makenna sighed in satisfaction when she leaned back in the back seat of the Impala. She was back, and even if she was still afraid, it felt good. Dean was bearable, they had a clue of where to search for John and she was back hunting with the boys. It felt right. And for a moment, Makenna thought she could do it as if nothing ever happened. No Sam leaving. No fight with Dean. Just them. Their team. Just like before.

She fell asleep at this thought, listening to rock music in the background and the vibration of the engine.

Slowly stirring in her sleep, Makenna woke up with a ray of sunshine warming her face. She noticed that the car was no longer moving. She opened her eyes slowly and straightened up in the back seat, stretching her back and yawning.

Sam heard her and turned from his position to look at her. He smiled gently, before returning to what he was doing.

"Good morning, sleepy head." He smiled.

"Mornin'… Where're we?" She murmured, not fully awake yet.

Sam chuckles, he knew that Mac wasn't a heavy sleeper but he also knew that she wasn't an early riser.

"We're not far from Jericho, we just stopped for breakfast and gas." He explained her, amused at her tired voice and yawns.

Suddenly, Dean came back from the shop and walked behind the car to talk to his brother.

"Hey. You want breakfast?" He asked, showing him the supplies he had bought for the road.

"No, thanks." Sam answered, looking down at the box on his knees.

Dean shrugged and walked toward the back door. He tapped on the window and Makenna slid it down so she could talk to him. He bent down to the window frame and handed her a coffee and biscuits.

"Oooh! Thanks!" She exclaimed happily, relieved to see coffee.

She took the cup in her hand with a grateful smile and drank some of it. She sighed happily when the beverage hit her tongue. It was just like she liked it, Dean still remembered how she took her coffee and it warmed her heart (pun intended) to know that he didn't forget all the things about her.

Dean smiled at her reaction and slightly shook his head. She hadn't changed. She was still the playful girl he knew, the one that would behave like a child just because it was fun. He tried to ignore the hurtful sting in his heart when he remembered that they were no longer as close as they used to be and walked towards the back of the car to pump gas.

Sam thankfully spoke up, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"So, how'd you pay for that stuff?" He asked, still looking at the box on his knees. "You and Dad still running credit-cards scams?"

"Yeah, well, hunting ain't exactly a pro-ball career." Dean answered.

"It should be. Some gratitude sometime wouldn't be bad." Makenna said, popping her head out of the window of the car.

"Yeah, agreed. But it's not. Besides, all we do is apply. It's not our fault they send us the cards."

"No, it's just because they're idiots." Makenna agreed with a smile.

"Yeah?" Sam scoffed. "And what names did you write on the application this time?" He asked, sitting back in the car and closing his door while Dean got in the car too.

"Burt Aframian and his son Hector." He informed.

Makenna almost split up her coffee at hearing that. She coughed a bit and leaned in between the front seats to look at Dean.

"Excuse me, did you say Hector?" She asked, trying not to burst out laughing again.

"Yeah, whatever." Dean said, a little embarrassed. It wasn't him that choose the name, it was his father. Makenna snorted before leaning back in her seat.

"Scored two cards out of the deal." He continued.

"Sounds about right." Sam said, a bit impressed.

The younger Winchester looked back at the box on his knees, Makenna became curious and leaned on the front seats again to see what he was doing.

"What're ya doing?" She asked, frowning.

"Searching for music, in vain." Sam answered her before turning towards his brother. "I swear man. You've got update your cassette-tapes collection."

"Why?" Dean asked, a bit defensive.

"Well, for one, they're cassette tapes. And two… Black Sabbath? Motörhead? Metallica?"

"Hey! What's wrong with Metallica?" Makenna exclaimed, slightly hitting Sam's shoulder.

Dean took a cassette tape out of Sam's hand and put it in the cassette player.

"It's the greatest hits of mullet rock." Sam said as if it answered everything.

"Well, house rules, Sammy. Driver picks the music… Shotgun shut his cake hole."

Makenna couldn't help but laugh at that. Sam just seemed annoyed.

"You know, 'Sammy' is a chubby 12-years-old. It's Sam, okay?"

But Dean turned up the volume and Sam's voice became hard to hear.

"Sorry, I can't hear you. The music's too loud." He said, making Mac laugh.

The car started and they hit the road again on the tune of Back in Black by ACDC. Mac bobbed her head to the rhythm of the music and sang along, looking out of the window.

Maybe it wasn't the reunion she expected, but it wasn't bad. Because it felt right.