Adelaide and Natalia sat on the bed together while Sam and Dean waited outside.
"What happens next?" Sam whispered. Dean shrugged in reply.
"We can't haul her around forever. If she's got demons on her tail, we're in trouble."
"So," Dean muttered, "we find out how to deal with 'em."
"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Sam asked.
"How should I know?" Dean scoffed. "I'm your brother, not your psychic."
Sam chuckled. "I think we need to pay Bobby a visit. He'd probably know what to do about the demon, and about Elizabeth."
"We take the kid all the way to South Dakota when we've only known her for three days?"
Sam shrugged. "Got any other ideas?"
"Nah," Dean confessed. "But should we ask her mom first, or…not?"
"How did you die?" Adi inquired. "You had a bite mark on your neck; do demons have weird teeth?"
"It wasn't the demon who killed me." Natalia replied, "Crowley was raising hellhounds. He sent them after me, and they were what took my life. My death was pretty mild, actually."
"Like hell it was!" Adi objected. "You were torn apart and bitten; if that's your idea of 'mild', I don't want to know what a gruesome death looks like."
Natalia smoothed a strand of Adi's hair out of her face. "I hope you never have to see one."
"There's one more thing I don't understand." Adi questioned, "If you can travel back in time, why don't you go back further and change everything? Why stop here?"
"I can't travel as I please." Natalia replied. "I could stop at one point in time, and one only. I chose this because I knew I could find you eventually, and I couldn't stop my own death, so I thought I'd at least try and stop yours."
"What about Sam and Dean's?" Adi pressed. "If we all do what you said, they'll live too."
Natalia nodded. "And hundreds more will live, because of you."
"Shit, mom," Adi exclaimed, "don't put that on me."
"I'm not trying to put any pressure on you," Natalia protested, "I'm just telling you what I've seen. And hundreds of people are alive in the future, but only if you live to save them."
"What, by being a hunter?"
"Yes. And by stopping the darkness."
Adelaide sat in silence for a long moment. She stared into her mother's big blue eyes and thought of Elizabeth.
"Don't tell me I have to kill anyone. Especially not Elizabeth."
"I can't say," Natalia replied. "I've seen bits and pieces of the future – both futures - but I can't say if Elizabeth is alive in them or not."
"But she's an angel; aren't they immortal?"
"Honestly, all I know about angels is that they are powerful beings, and they can do absolutely anything God commands them to do."
"So, if God commands Elizabeth to kill me, she will."
Natalia shook her head. "That won't happen. God doesn't want people to die, but He will allow it."
"Great," Adi remarked sarcastically. "So my life is in the hands of the big guy upstairs, and no matter what I do the outcome will always be the same."
"No, no, no, you're missing the point." Natalia protested. "You have to understand: God allows for humans to make their own choices; you just have to make sure you choose the right ones."
Adi's mind was more jumbled than ever, but she nodded silently, regardless. Natalia and Adi left the room and joined Sam and Dean outside.
"I've got to get going now." Natalia stated. She gave her daughter one last embrace, and nodded to the brothers.
"Take care of her, okay?" She said, "And remember what I told you."
Dean and Sam nodded. They watched as Natalia walked away, and exchanged glances that spoke many words along the lines of "what the hell did we just witness?"
"Adi," Natalia turned back and smirked at her daughter. "Get some clean clothes, okay?"
Adi laughed and nodded. She watched as Natalia walked away for the last time, until she disappeared around the corner.
"Hey, kid," Dean started, "We've got an old friend in South Dakota who can help us out with the demon issue. You down?"
"Why not?" Adi replied. "We've got plenty of time to kill, and apparently a couple demons."
Sam let Adi ride in the passenger seat first while Dean drove. The travel was over 12 hours, and they agreed to rotate every few hours so Sam could have a period of time with extra leg room. The three stopped for food, and Adi watched out for demons. They went to a retail store where Adi found some extra clothes. They took a few detours, all the while keeping a lookout for Elizabeth, and came to a stop in Nebraska, just a few hours south of Bobby's place.
"This is the last stop, I promise." Dean said. He pulled into the parking lot of an old, somewhat run-down diner that had lost its sign along with a couple layers of paint.
"Phew," Dean exclaimed, "Looked a lot worse last time we were here."
Once inside, Adelaide found herself watching over her shoulder at all times.
"Need some salt?" Dean playfully punched Adi on the arm and she jumped.
"What?" She asked.
"It's a superstitious kind of thing," Dean replied. "Throw salt over your shoulder, relieve bad juju."
"Not to worry, hun. There ain't no bad juju here."
"Hi, Ellen." Dean smiled.
"Howdy, boys," Ellen walked around the counter to hug Dean and Sam. She noticed Adelaide and smiled warmly. "Who's your friend?"
"This is our…Adelaide." Sam replied.
"She's our dad's secret daughter." Dean elaborated.
Ellen's smile faded slowly, then bounced right back as she went into "mom mode".
"It's real nice to meet you, Adelaide." Ellen offered a hand, which Adi shook. "Are these boys treatin' you nice?"
"More or less," Adi replied jokingly.
Ellen laughed. "I've got a special spot just for y'all." She led them to a table at the other end of the room, where the bright morning sunlight seeped through the window cheerily.
"Only table 'round here that hasn't been tossed around, scratched with a knife, or blown to bits." Ellen retorted. "It's a special one." She knocked on the tabletop and winked at the boys.
"What can I get'cha?" Ellen asked, standing with one hand on her hip and the other reaching for a little pad of paper on the countertop.
"The strongest stuff you've got," Dean replied. Sam nodded in agreement.
"I'm good with water, thanks." Adelaide said.
"So two coffees and a water," Ellen nodded. Sam and Dean sent her confused glances at which she chuckled.
"Sorry, boys; this early in the morning, coffee's the strongest thing you're gonna get."
Adelaide wrung her hands uncomfortably. She sensed that there was something off about the place; Sam noticed, and offered to explain.
"Ellen's a hunter too," He whispered. "She's had her fair share of inhospitable customers."
"Sam? Dean?"
A young blonde woman emerged from the kitchen, beaming excitedly.
"How's it going, Jo?" Dean replied, standing up to hug the girl.
"What brings you back here?" Jo inquired, welcoming Dean's embrace and offering one to Sam.
"We're headed to Bobby's," Dean replied. He motioned to Adi, "We've got a passenger with some demon trouble."
"Demons?" Jo inquired, "Really…that's new."
"Exactly," Sam agreed. "That's why we need Bobby's help."
Jo gave a slow nod. "He definitely knows how to handle some crazy shit."
Ellen returned from the back room with two mugs of coffee and a tall glass of ice water.
"We're out of creamer," Ellen said, "but here's some sugar for 'ya." She dropped a handful of sugar packets on the table and set down the drinks.
"Now," she sighed, "how's about some solid sustenance?"
Sam, Dean, and Adelaide ordered their food and pulled up a fourth chair for Jo.
"So, what's your story, Adi?" Jo inquired.
Adi chortled. "A long one,"
"Hey," Jo held up her hands in surrender. "You don't want to tell me, that's fine, I get it." She grinned, "but I'm not afraid of monsters, and I'm not gonna cry over you, I promise."
Adi let a half smile creep up. She gave Jo an abridged version of her long life story; Ellen listened in as she fried eggs and bacon in the kitchen.
"How do you live all your life with an angel as your sister and not suspect a thing?" Jo asked.
"I thought she might be communicating with them," Adi clarified. "I didn't exactly think she was one of them."
"You'll learn soon enough," Ellen shouted from the kitchen. She emerged with three plates of food and set them on the table as she continued, "you've got to expect the weirdest shit; set the stakes high, and hope none of it proves to be true."
Ellen pulled Jo away to clean up, as she wandered to the back room to brew another pot of coffee. Once the three had finished their meal, Ellen and Jo returned to send them off, as a scraggly old man waltzed through the door.
"Gimme one second," Ellen called to him, "I'll be right with 'ya."
She turned to Sam and Dean, and patted them on the shoulders. "You boys take care; give Bobby a hello from us. And you," She turned to Adi and smiled, "look out for these two asshats. Keep 'em out of trouble."
Adi sighed heavily. "I've got my work cut out for me. All they are is trouble."
Ellen winked and chuckled. Jo hugged Sam and Dean, and nodded a goodbye to Adi before walking over to the new customer and taking his order.
"Really, boys," Ellen whispered, "be careful out there. I've heard some nasty things have been goin 'round where you've been."
"Hell breaking loose?" Dean nodded, "Yeah, we know. That's why we're hightailing it to dry ground."
"Won't be dry for long," Ellen muttered. "You need anything, you gimme a call."
Sam nodded and patted Ellen on the back once more before following Dean and Adi out of the building.
The Impala started up with a roar. Dean took a deep breath followed by a satisfied exhale.
"Ready to go, kid?" Dean peered in the rearview mirror at his sister, who nodded in reply.
The three drove off, and in a few short hours they made it to a dirt road.
"Here we are," Dean said. "Don't let the atmosphere creep you out too much." He reassured Adi, "Bobby's a great guy, just a little rough around the edges."
Sam stared inquisitively at Dean. "'a little rough around the edges?'"
"Yeah." Dean gave Sam the same inquisitive look. "What?"
Sam scoffed. "Bobby's the nicest guy we know."
"And the best hunter we know," Dean argued. "He means business, even when he's not on the job."
"It's okay," Adi chimed in. "I've seen my fair share of 'rough around the edges'. I can take it."
Dean pulled into the drive and turned off the car. "There ya go, kid." He smiled, "This is Bobby's place."
A grey-haired man with a torn flannel and a shotgun burst through the front door. He shouted a warning, but immediately recognized Dean's car and lowered the barrel of his gun.
"Sam? Dean?" He questioned, "what are you two idjits doin' here?"
Sam stepped out of the passenger side and opened the back door for Adi, as Dean opened the driver's door and walked up to Bobby.
"Hiya, Bobby." Dean said, "We need your help." Adi stepped out of the car, and Dean motioned to her. "She needs your help."
Bobby stared aghast at the girl who so closely resembled John Winchester. His eyes widened, and it took Dean's coaxing to break him out of his daze. Bobby shook his head and walked back towards the house, motioning for the boys and Adi to follow.
"So," Bobby started, "you're John's daughter…so why has he never said a thing about you?"
"He didn't know I existed." Adi explained, "he left my mom before either of them found out she was pregnant."
"But," Bobby protested, "He had to have known something was up." His eyes darted between Sam and Dean, "Did he act shocked at all?"
"Come to think of it," Sam started, "he acted like he…expected it."
"It's all really messed up," Dean agreed. "First, he says he thought Natalia was dead, then—"
"Then he shows up at my house looking for her." Adi finished.
Bobby hesitated. "Don't take offense to this, but…sounds to me like your dad is giving you a big load of shit."
"That's what we're thinking." Sam affirmed. "And if Natalia's right – if she has seen the future – Dad gets himself possessed by a demon who kills both me and Dean."
"Ah, shit," Bobby shook his head. "I'm sorry."
"But," Dean spoke up, "we've got bigger fish to fry. As far as we know, there's this master demon on our tail – her tail – and we've got to stop it."
"Your dad and I have hunted plenty of demons," Bobby nodded. "I've got just the stuff."
Bobby motioned for them to follow him to another room in the house. After pushing some furniture around, he came to a little cabinet door installed overtop a large hole in the wall. He opened it to reveal a nice collection of vials, knives, silver chains, bullets, and three cans of spray paint. Hiding underneath everything was a dusty old book full of symbols and Latin exorcism chants.
"All you need is right here." Bobby tapped the book with his finger. Adi's fascination grew, and Bobby noticed.
"Let me tell you some stories." He said. The three followed him back into the den once Dean had stuffed all of Bobby's anti-demon tools into his duffel bag.