Grace woke up with a pounding headache, her mouth dry. The shades were closed on the windows but she felt like it was still too bright. She sat up slowly. She was in a t-shirt that wasn't hers and her cotton-blue underwear. She let out a groan.
"Morning sunshine." She heard Dean say.
She held her head in her hands. What the hell happened last night? She slowly looked over at the elder Winchester. He was sitting at the desk in their motel room. He looked rather comfortable and cocky as he looked at her.
Grace weakly waved.
Dean laughed as he moved towards her. He handed her a bottle of water and some Ibuprofen. She took it immediately, still not making eye contact. Dean sat on the bed opposite from her. She wondered where Sam was.
"I'm going to take it you don't drink often." Dean had a smirk on his face that Grace thought was never going to go away.
Grace groaned and lay back down and turned to face Dean. Her stomach contents churned. "What gave it away?" She weakly responded. She could taste the vomit on her mouth. All she remembered was Sam and her drinking at the bar. Dean was with a girl? Something was said about Dean? But she didn't even remember getting back to the motel.
"How'd I get back here?" Grace chanced a look at him.
"I carried you. Then you threw up all over the place." Dean told her nonchalantly.
Grace groaned and Dean laughed.
"How bad was it?" Grace looked at him.
"It wasn't too bad. You shouldn't drink so much." Dean chided.
"I'm aware. It was one night." She looked at Dean and was glad she couldn't remember.
"The best part was when you took your pants off and threw them at me." Dean was enjoying this too much.
"You probably deserved it." She cracked a smile. She couldn't even feel embarrassed. She was fairly certain that last night she wanted to hit him anyways.
Dean shrugged. He leant down and grabbed Grace's duffle. He set it on the bed, "You should get dressed. We're gonna get some breakfast and hopefully find a hunt."
Grace nodded. Dean stood up and went to go to the bathroom.
He paused, "You know my favorite part of last night?"
"What?"
"You didn't want to let go of me last night." His eyes twinkled as he said it.
As mortified as Grace was at that, she decided to just not care. "Well I probably couldn't stand by myself." She muttered as she unzipped her bag and pulled out a pair of jeans.
"Maybe that's it Gracie."
Her heart thumped, but she just gave him a thumbs up.
She was ready for a hunt.
And a distraction.
OoOoOo
Grace picked at piece of toast, while Dean read the newspaper and Sam looked at articles on his laptop. Sam had given Grace a huge hug this morning all the while he was laughing. She was glad she got to be the butt of the jokes for now. She knew it would be Sam or Dean's turn next.
Grace's cell phone let out a loud ring, Nora's face popping up on the screen. She groaned at the noise as she answered it. Dean glanced her way but quickly went back to reading the newspaper.
"Nora, hey." Grace held her head and rested on the diner table.
"Grace! Hey, I called Bobby and he said you weren't back yet? It's been a few days, is everything alright?" Nora's voice was too energized for her. Grace took a sip of her coffee and let out a heavy sigh.
"Yeah everything is alright." Grace knew she was being short.
"You sound like shit."
"That's what a hangover does to you." Grace said drolly. Nora laughed so loud that Sam looked up and smirked. Grace was not a drinker, but Nora was. She had only drank a handful of times and she usually always had stopped before the hangover would hit.
"Who are you getting drunk with? Because it's not me!" Nora asked semi seriously.
"Well I had that hunt in upstate New York and Sam and Dean were there. Now we're hunting together…I guess." Grace finished lamely. Dean smirked down at his newspaper and Grace shoved him.
"Wait, you're hunting with Sam and Dean? Really, how interesting." Nora sounded like she was calculating something.
"Where are you?" Grace asked.
"Iowa. That was why I really called, thought we could get together and finish this case up." Nora admitted. Grace nodded, acknowledging what she was saying. Nora usually hunted with whatever guy she was seeing and now she was alone. Grace bit her lip.
"Well we're in Nebraska…" Grace bit her lip.
Dean closed his newspaper and set it on the table. Sam crossed his arms over his chest and leant back in the booth.
"So, any hunts that you are currently engaging?" Nora sounded hopeful.
"Not yet. I'll talk to them and let you know. Text me the address of your motel and I'll get back to you." Grace told her and ended the phone call. She set the phone beside her and chanced a look at the brothers, who were both staring at her.
"Who was that boozy?" Dean asked cheekily.
Grace wanted to give him the finger, but instead she simply responded, "A friend of mine, Nora, she's got a hunt in Iowa. Asked if we wanted to help."
"Another hunter we don't know exists?" Dean commented.
"It would appear that way," Grace paused, "So can we go? We haven't found anything else."
Sam glanced at Dean hesitantly and said, "I don't see why not."
Dean sighed, "Did she say what she was hunting?"
Grace smiled sheepishly, "Uh, not yet. But we can find out when we get there."
"Perfect." Dean muttered.
Grace's phone dinged with an address.
"Let's go." Grace groaned as she climbed out of the booth.
OoOoOo
"Just be nice." Grace said for the tenth time. They were only a few minutes away from the motel Nora had checked into according to the GPS. Dean rolled his eyes and Sam just chuckled.
"I'm nice." Dean stated.
Grace scoffed, "That's not the word I would use. I'm serious, she's my best friend and she's a good hunter."
"How long have you known her?" Sam asked.
"Since I was twelve." Grace responded. She took a sip of her Gatorade that they had picked up at a gas station. She felt better than she had in the morning.
"Does Dad know her?" Sam turned to look back at Grace.
Grace nodded, "Yeah. He thinks she's a bad influence." Grace smiled as she looked out the window.
OoOoOo
Nora ran up and hugged Grace, a girlish squeal emanating from her. Dean stiffened, not realizing what he had gotten himself into. He was not sure he was ready to be dealing with the girls. On the other hand, Sam smiled at the scene before him.
Grace grinned and wrapped her arms around Nora.
"I'm so happy you're here!" Nora laughed.
Grace took a breath and shrugged, "We weren't having much luck finding a hunt."
"Or you weren't looking hard enough," Nora paused, "You smell like whiskey."
Grace felt her stomach lurch and she flushed. Nora raised her eyebrow. She knew Grace was not one to drink.
"It was Sam's fault." Grace copped out.
Nora nodded slowly and turned her attention to the Winchesters. Sam looked amused, while Dean just stared. He had never seen Grace smile so big or laugh so hard. It was a sight he wouldn't mind seeing more often.
"So you two are the famous Winchesters." Nora studied them.
Sam extended his hand, "Sam Winchester. This is my brother Dean."
Nora shook his hand, "Nice to meet you both. Although, I gotta say I'm not too thrilled that Grace here is hungover for the start of our hunt."
Grace picked up two of the duffel bags and groaned, "All right let's go inside. Fill us in on what we missed." Dean smiled awkwardly at Nora and followed Grace into the motel room. He did not like feeling like she was watching his every move.
Grace set the duffels on the floor and turned to face Dean. "I promise she's not bad. You just have to warm up a little." Grace tried to sound convincing.
"She's ah, she's perky." Dean tried.
Grace smiled weakly and sat down at the cheap dining table. She would have to change soon if they were going to go to the crime scene. Nora came in, Sam followed. Both were deep in conversation already. Grace had never seen Sam so animated.
Dean cleared his throat at Sam.
"Anyways, the hunt?" Sam said awkwardly.
Nora sat down on the edge of the bed and handed a manila folder to Grace. She took it and began to flip through the pages and images Nora had compiled. "This morning Steven Miller was found dead in his sons bedroom. His wrists were slit and his blood alcohol was through the roof." Nora said briefly.
Dean nodded, "And?"
Nora stared at him, "And there were no signs of forced entry or foul play. His wife and daughter were asleep in the other rooms."
Grace looked up at Nora, "Wait, where was his son?"
"What?" Nora responded.
"You said he was found in his sons room."
Nora nodded, "Right, that's the weird thing. Their son disappeared. He's been a missing person for two years. They don't know where he is."
Sam chimed in, "That's a little strange."
Nora nodded, "We need to go to the scene and someone needs to get an autopsy report."
"They probably haven't even finished it." Grace sighed and rubbed her head.
"By the time we get over there it'll be done. His body was found at one this morning. His home is still a crime scene. And they rushed the autopsy report. Two of us go and talk to the family, look at the scene and the other two go get the autopsy report." Nora liked being the one in control during hunts.
Dean looked up at Nora, "What was this guys job?"
"He was a lawyer, going to run for office."
Dean grunted in response.
"How old was the son when he went missing?" Sam asked, his interest piqued.
"He was fifteen."
There was a silence, then Grace spoke up.
"I'll go to the house, talk to the family and whatnot." Grace glanced up from the article she was reading.
Nora frowned, "I wanted to go get the autopsy report."
Sam jumped in, "Yeah, I'll cover the report with Nora."
Grace nodded and went into the bathroom with a change of clothes.
"Great."
OoOoOo
The Miller household was beyond stereotypical. It was in a nice suburb with expensive houses that looked like they had been cut from magazine. Every lawn was a perfect shade of green, newly mowed. The sun was shining down on all the houses. The only thing setting apart this house was the caution tape surrounding it.
"I'll never choose a place like this to live." Grace grumbled. She had changed into a pencil skirt and navy blouse. She pulled her hair up, brushed her teeth again, and put on some makeup to make herself look more awake.
"Oh yeah?"
"I'll live on the countryside away from everyone." Grace softly smiled. She liked the solitude. Dean nodded in agreement. They walked up to the caution tape and an officer approached them.
"This is a crime scene, no unauthorized personnel." He tried to sound in charge, but his voice was shaky. It was clear he was new, which only boosted Grace's confidence.
Dean opened his badge and Grace followed suit. "Detective Rose and this is my partner, Detective Adler. We're here to conduct an investigation since your crew is doing such a bang up job." Dean glared at the man.
The man swallowed, "Look, Detective Rose don't make me get my supervisor."
Grace bit the inside of her cheek so she wouldn't smile. "Please go get him so we can explain to him why we are not a step closer to finding out what happened to this man because you won't let two FBI agents into the scene."
Dean raised his eyebrows at the officer, who meekly began to lift the caution tape. Grace ducked under and Dean followed suit. Grace impressed him, yet again. For being so young she was able to hold her own.
They moved into the house bypassing the other officers and reporters. It looked like the average American family. Pictures portrayed happy smiles and loving parents. The house looked like Martha Stewart had decorated it. Aside from the son's bedroom, the place was immaculate.
Grace moved up the stairs, ignoring the pictures dangling in front of her. She flashed her badge to another officer outside the bedroom, but this time there was no issue. Grace saw the dark blood on the pure white carpets. The contrast startled her. Three bottles of scotch surrounded the bloody mess. Other than that it was a typical bedroom that belonged to a fifteen-year-old boy. Sports posters, memorabilia, and a photo of him and who Grace assumed was his younger sister.
"It's a lot of blood." Grace murmured.
Dean nodded, "Do we know what he used to cut his wrists?"
Another officer chimed in, "Broken glass from one of the bottles. Pretty gruesome if you ask me." Dean gave him a look, but Grace mustered up a genuine smile.
"Do you know where his wife and daughter are?" She asked.
"Yeah, downstairs in the kitchen."
"Let's go." Grace murmured.
OoOoOo
"I've already been questioned." Chelsea Miller responded angrily. Her eyes were swollen, her hair a mess. It was obvious that she had not slept at all. Lilly sat beside her mother. She was a small girl with bright red hair that waved perfectly around her shoulders. Grace hated bothering the victim's families but it was necessary.
"I know you have. But we just have a few questions." Grace said as politely as she could.
"Okay." Chelsea conceded.
"Did your husband drink often?" Grace asked.
Chelsea wiped her eyes, "He had a stressful job, and he drank sometimes to handle it."
Dean cut in, "Do you think his drinking affected his relationships?"
"No."
Grace could tell that she was not going to be cooperative. "Do you have any reason to believe that he would want to hurt himself?" Dean tried again.
Chelsea stared at him in disbelief, "No, of course not. He was going to run for office and he had me and Lilly."
"What about Jacob?" Grace tried.
Chelsea stiffened, "Jacob ran away."
"I understand that, but did that cause any stress on your husband?"
She made a face at Grace, "Do you have any children detective?"
Grace shook her head, "No ma'am."
"Well children are stressful."
"So Jacob being here added stress?" Dean asked.
Chelsea shook her head, "He was a good son, but he ran away which caused more problems than before."
Grace studied Chelsea; something about her was very off putting. She did not like her attitude. Her son had disappeared and her husband had allegedly killed himself and she seemed so cocky and irritated. She was not the grieving widow Grace had imagined.
"How do you know he ran away?" Grace observed the shift in her facial expression.
"What are you suggesting?" She was affronted.
"I'm not suggesting anything. I thought he disappeared." Grace tried. Dean put his hand on her lower back. Grace glanced at him feeling undeterred.
"We're done here." Chelsea bit out.
Grace nodded and walked away. Dean stood there, cleared his throat and said, "I apologize for my partner. I have to ask if there is anyone you could think of who would want to hurt your husband."
Chelsea hesitated, "The only person I can think of is Eric Wallace, his opponent in the race for office."
Dean nodded. He glanced down at Lilly.
She stared at him with almost pleading eyes.
OoOoOo
"What was that?" Dean asked as soon as they were driving. Nora had called and told them to come back to the motel. Apparently the autopsy report held some interesting news. Grace shook her head.
"What?"
"That wasn't professional."
Grace scoffed, "Coming from you."
Dean clenched his jaw and ignored her statement. He was serious in the situations that called for it and respectful in the same instances. "Grace, come on. Her husband just died and she only has her daughter left."
"Well I would have liked to have talked to her daughter, but we didn't get that opportunity." She said bitterly.
"She'll be less likely to share anything with us because of you responded to her." Dean pointed out.
Grace let out a breath, "She's hiding something."
"You can't know that."
Changing the subject and avoiding a fight, Grace asked, "Did she say anything else?"
"Yeah, something about an Eric Wallace. Apparently he was running against Steven for mayor. We'll have to look into it." Dean shrugged.
"Alright." Grace said.
Dean paused, then said, "Are you sure you're okay?"
Grace looked out the window and shut her eyes.
"I'm okay."
OoOoOo
"So he would have been unconscious before he could have killed himself?" Dean asked.
Sam nodded, "Yes, with his blood alcohol as high as it was."
Dean nodded, trying to comprehend what he was hearing.
"What about you guys?" Nora asked.
"Well Steven's wife was not helpful in the least. She said his drinking wasn't a problem. We asked her about her son and she believes he ran away. We need to look into a guy named Eric Wallace." Dean explained.
Sam nodded, "On it. What do you need to know about him?"
"The wife thinks he had reason to hurt Steven. They were both running for mayor."
"Anything else?" Nora asked.
Grace shook her head.
"I would have liked to talk to her daughter, but the wife was defensive enough." Dean added in.
Nora didn't take her eyes off Grace, "All right. Next time."
Grace couldn't shake what she was feeling. She was worried for Lilly and anxious about her mother. But she would have to wait.
"I have an address for Eric Wallace. 523 Lakeshore Drive." Sam looked up.
Dean changed his focus to Sam, "Let's go."
Sam hesitated, but shut his laptop and moved to follow Dean out.
OoOoOo
Eric Wallace was a short and stocky man who was balding.
"We have reason to believe you might have wanted to hurt Steven Miller." Sam said sternly.
Eric Wallace stared and then burst into laughter. Dean raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms over his chest. "This man is dead and people think you had something to do with it. Not the best time to be laughing." Dean said sternly. His mood was thrown off from this afternoon with Grace.
"Listen, I just heard of Steven's suicide this afternoon. I was home all night with my wife and three kids. There's security tapes if you don't believe me." Eric's smile had cleared from his face.
"Then why are fingers being pointed at you?" Sam questioned.
Eric shrugged, "I was his opponent."
"That's not going to cut it." Dean countered.
Eric hesitated and then let out a heavy breath. He stood up quickly and closed the glass doors to his office. Sam and Dean exchanged a look.
"Listen, in any campaign there's dirt. None of us are perfect and when you're in the public eye, you want things to look perfect." Eric explained.
"Steven had dirt on you." Dean started connecting the dots.
Eric nodded.
"What did he know?" Sam asked.
Eric cleared his throat, "I uh…I'm having an affair."
Dean rolled his eyes. How cliché. "Alright, that's great. But why didn't he tell anyone?"
"I would have exposed him right back."
"With what?"
Eric shook his head, a serious look forming on his face. "He was a terrible father."
"That's a little underwhelming compared to your affair, don't you think?" Dean countered.
Eric shook his head, "No, I mean he beat Jacob. I saw the marks and one night I saw it happen. Steven was a terrible drunk and he took it out on that boy. No wonder he ran away."
Dean and Sam looked at each other.
This changed things.
OoOoOo
"Grace, wake up." Nora put her hand on Grace's shoulder. Grace slowly opened her eyes. The sun had gone down, the room was dimly lit. She looked around the room as she sat up. Sam and Dean weren't back yet.
"How long have I been asleep?" Grace asked.
"Almost two hours. We're gonna go meet Sam and Dean for dinner." Nora said. Grace nodded and slowly crawled out of bed. She leant over her bag and pulled out a new change of clothes. She grabbed a black lacey top and jeans. Nora sat on the edge of the bed.
"Are you going to stare at me all night?" Grace snapped.
Nora held up her hands, "Sorry. You've just been acting strange since you got back from the house."
Grace began to change, "I was just tired. Sorry for being cranky."
"Are you sure it doesn't have anything to do with the mother being a total bitch to you and the dad being an abusive alcoholic?" Nora was not one to mince words. Grace stopped buttoning her shirt and glared at Nora.
"What?"
"Sam and Dean went and talked to that Eric guy. Turns out he knew that Steven was abusing his son. You and Dean will go back and talk to Chelsea tomorrow. And you'll have good reason to talk to Lilly." Nora explained.
"Can we just not talk about this case anymore?" Grace sighed.
"Why not?"
"You know why." Grace replied.
Nora bit her lip.
"Okay."
OoOoOo
Everyone had a beer, except Grace who was sticking with water. Grace was happy she liked bar food so much. She picked at some fries and had stayed quiet while the others discussed the case. This was one that was just hitting to close to home for her, but she wasn't ready to talk about it.
Nora stared out at the dance floor, "Grace, wanna dance with me?"
Grace's first instinct was to say no, but instead she smiled, "Sure." It was the perfect distraction for her. Some country song played loudly and Grace allowed herself to move along with the music.
Dean tried not to watch her as he took a sip of his drink. She was a mystery to him. She had seemed off all day and not because of her hangover. And now she was suddenly dancing with a smile on her face. It was one of those moments where she was being carefree and Dean thoroughly enjoyed seeing her distressed.
Sam slid Dean a napkin.
"What's this for?" Dean stared, clearly confused.
"It's to wipe the drool off your chin. I don't get you man." Sam chuckled.
Dean pushed the napkin away and rolled his eyes. "Shut up Sam." He bit out.
"I mean seriously though. One second you can't stand her, now she's hunting with us and you two are suddenly buddy buddy. Maybe more…" Sam explained.
Dean shook his head, "She's close to Dad. I'm watching out for her because that's what he would want."
"Whatever you say."
Just then Grace came up to the table with a refreshed smile on her face, "Sam would you please dance with Nora? I'm done for the night."
"Why not?" Sam smiled and gave Dean one last glance.
Grace scooted in where Sam had just left. She reached for her water and took a giant gulp. As her eyes settled on Dean she realized he was already watching her.
"What's up?" She asked
Dean paused, then said, "This hunt…it's bothering you?"
Grace sighed. She was this close to actually enjoying the evening. "Dean, can we just not tonight? We have a long day tomorrow and I just want to have some fun for the rest of tonight."
Dean nodded.
He understood the feeling.
OoOoOo
"Okay, I'm going to talk to Lilly. You can handle the monster." Grace whispered as they approached the Miller home.
"Grace." Dean chastised.
"I'm just saying. I'm better with kids anyway." Grace tried again.
"Alright, try and keep your cool today." Dean suggested.
"She's seven. I don't think she is going get under my skin." Grace retorted.
OoOoOo
"Was your husband abusive towards your son?" Dean asked.
Chelsea shifted uncomfortably. She avoided Dean's gaze and her eyes began to tear up. Dean was not sure whether or not she was being sincere.
"It wasn't all the time," she hesitated, "Steven would drink and he'd become so violent. I tried to stop him, but it was no use."
"Did he ever hit you?" Dean asked.
She shook her head, horrified at the thought.
"What about your daughter?" Dean asked.
"No, of course not."
Dean could see why Grace had not been a fan of the woman. She was mentally warped and Dean did not understand her.
"I'm going to ask you a question and I want the truth," Dean watched her respond and then asked, "Did Jacob really run away?"
Chelsea bit her lip, "I don't know."
Dean stared at the woman, his stomach tightening with disgust. He decided to leave just as Chelsea spoke up.
"I have a question for you Detective."
"What?" Dean asked.
"How did you know about Jacob…and Steven?" Chelsea questioned.
"Eric Wallace told me." Dean felt no need to hide the truth.
"Eric?"
"Yeah, apparently Mr. Wallace was blackmailing your husband with this information."
She scoffed, "Why was he blackmailing Steven? What could he possibly want?"
"Eric Wallace was having an affair. Your husband knew."
Chelsea stared; shock and despair covered her face. Dean registered the shift in her facial expression.
"What?" Dean asked.
"I didn't know Steven knew." She was nearly inaudible.
"Didn't know what?"
"Eric and I had been having an affair for years." Chelsea murmured.
Dean could only stare.
Sometimes he hated his job.
OoOoOo
"Hi Lilly, I'm Grace." Grace smiled sweetly as she sat before the little girl. She smiled shyly at Grace.
"Hi."
"I just wanted to ask you some questions, okay?" Grace asked.
Lilly nodded.
"The night that your daddy died, did you hear or see anything strange?" Grace questioned.
Lilly shook her head.
"Did you like your daddy?"
Lilly seemed uncomfortable, "Sometimes."
"Was he mean sometimes?"
Lilly nodded.
"Did he ever hurt you or your mom?" Grace felt strange asking these questions.
Lilly shook her head.
"What about your brother?"
Lilly nodded, her cheeks reddened.
"Is that why he ran away?" Grace knew in her gut that Jacob didn't just run away. She wasn't sure what was going on, but she knew it wasn't just a normal suicide case.
"I don't know."
"Lilly, I know you're scared. But it's okay, I'm here to help you and your mom." Grace spoke earnestly.
Lilly stayed quiet.
Grace nodded in understanding. "Alright, well this is my phone number. I want you to call me if you remember anything or need anything." Grace handed Lilly a small card that she had scribbled her name and number on. She set it beside Lilly land stood to leave the room.
She hoped she would get a phone call.
OoOoOo
"She was sleeping with Eric Wallace? And Steven knew? This is like a soap opera." Grace slid her hair out of her ponytail and shook it out. They were driving back to the motel so Dean and Sam could speak to Eric Wallace again.
"Yeah, can you believe that? These people live freaky lives behind the nice houses and fancy jobs." Dean shook his head, "What about Lilly? She say anything useful?"
Grace shook her head, "Not really. I gave her my phone number and I told her to call if she needs anything. I hope she will."
"Good work Gracie."
OoOoOo
Dean and Sam had left the to further interrogate Eric Wallace. Grace sat at the desk researching on her laptop. She had hacked into the local police station to see if she could find any more information about Steven Miller. It turned out he had two DUI's and three domestic disturbance calls in the last three years.
Grace rolled her eyes and closed the laptop screen.
"What's up?" Nora asked.
"This guy was an alcoholic and he was abusive. He should have been in jail." Grace rubbed her face and looked at Nora. Nora nodded in understanding.
"Sometimes the system fails." Nora muttered.
"No kidding."
There was a silence amongst them then Nora said, "So what's been up with you?"
"What do you mean?"
"Come on Grace. You've been quiet and kind of withdrawn. And I know you don't want to talk about it, but I think we should."
Grace nodded, "Yeah, I know. Just been focused on the hunt, that's all."
Nora hesitated, "I didn't realize that the hunt was going to involve all of this."
"I know you didn't. It's okay."
Nora studied Grace, not really believing her. But, what could she say? Nora knew some of Grace's past, but she didn't ever pry or ask questions.
Deciding to change the mood, Nora then said, "You know what else I didn't know about?"
Grace stared, "What?"
"You and Dean?"
Grace laughed outright, "What?"
"There's something there right? And you totally downplayed how attractive they are. I mean damn."
Grace laughed, "There's nothing there."
"Yeah okay."
Grace's cell phone rang interrupting their talk. "Hey Dean." Grace answered evenly. Nora smiled and watched, completely entertained.
"Eric Wallace is dead."
