Author's Notes: Gods, I've wrote quite a few chapters of this today. I think I should put my efforts into something a little bit more useful like... work maybe? Nah, I'm having too much fun here :) Quite a short chapter but I'm going to be timeskipping a little after this.
John read the letter slowly. He really wasn't what I was expecting, not at all. From the way Rick had talked about him, I had expected a large, buff man who knew everything about everything.
Each minute he spent reading made my heart rate speed up slightly. I didn't like the suspense of it all, wanting to read the letter myself. But, when he was done, he slipped the letter into the pocket of his shirt so I wouldn't have had a chance to get a look at it anyway.
It took him a few moments to speak and when he did, his voice was slow and steady. "So Richard is dead, then?" he asked and I answered with a simple nod. "How did it happen?"
I swallowed and looked at the ground. "It was my fault," I mumbled softly. "I led them to the house."
"Who?" John asked, watching me carefully.
"The vampires," I replied softly. "They followed me home. We'd had run-ins with them before but I didn't realize they were stalking me when I was out in town with a few friends. Then when I got home, they attacked us. Rick told Toby and I to run while he fought them off. We came back and they were all dead, Rick was still conscious though. He had this..." I swallowed. "...this gaping hole in his chest but he still managed to tell us to look in his safe, where I found that...I-I..." My voice broke and I just shook my head. It was difficult to talk about, even now, when it had been eight months since the incident.
Dean looked utterly confused, wondering what we were on about. "Who's Rick?" he asked. "And who's Toby?"
I glanced at him. "Rick was my mentor, Toby is my... friend." I replied. "We... we're not exactly..."
"Human" John finished for me. "I met Rick a while ago, when Sam wasn't even born. We kept in contact, especially after your mother died. Rick is...well was... the only one of his kind. He changed both Toby and Charley here into the same species as himself."
Dean's gaze on me turned suspicious. "So you're a monster?" he asked, looking slightly disgusted. It was probably because he had been flirting with me earlier.
John sighed. "No, Dean. She's an Elite. There the closest species to humans except with a few... extra things."
"How come you've never mentioned them?" Dean demanded, looking at his father.
"Because they're rare. Rick was the only one I ever knew existed."
I felt awkward, stuck between their row. They growled at each-other for a few minutes before Dean huffed and went silent. Then John turned to me again.
"So where's Toby?" he asked. "Did he come with you?"
I shook my head. "He stayed in London," I replied. "He didn't want to leave."
John nodded slowly. "So I assume that's where you'll be returning?" he asked.
I shrugged softly and looked away from him. "Toby doesn't want me going back and I don't particularly want to go there."
"Why don't you stay with us for a while, then?" John asked and Dean's head snapped towards him, looking confused.
I nodded a little. "Okay..." I murmured softly. I was a little suspicious of the sudden offer but something made me assume that Rick had said something in the letter, perhaps that was why he inquired about Toby too.
John smiled. "Good. You can help out with our hunting jobs."
