Chapter Ten

Cassandra woke around midnight. All the lights in the room were on, but she was completely alone.

"Alex? Dean?" she called into the empty room.

She grabbed her head and fell into the pillow face first, "Ugh!" she groaned.

Her head was throbbing, she needed what she shouldn't have. To take her mind off the delicate pain in her brain she grabbed her phone to call her beloved uncle.

"Yeah?" the familiar, gruff voice came across the line after a few rings.

"Hey Uncle Bobby," Cassie's face was still buried in the pillow as she spoke.

"What's that? I can hardly hear ya'."

Cassandra rolled onto her back and blocked the ceiling light with her arm.

"I said, Hey Uncle Bobby," she repeated louder than necessary.

"Hey'a Cassi. How y'all doin'?"

The sound of Sam groaning cut through the phone.

"What the Hell is going on there? Are you okay?" Cassandra snapped.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Bobby replied somberly, "You're hearing Sam."

"Is he okay?" Cassandra nearly yelled.

There was a long pause before Bobby reluctantly answered, "No, Cassi. I don't think Sam's ever gonna be okay. But he's alive, so I guess that's all that really matters."

Cassandra sat up.

"What's going on?" she whispered.

"Cass, it's a long story and I'm tired. Can I tell you about it when you get back into town?"

"Sure thing," her annoyance was obvious.

"Thanks. Anyways, how is Alexis?"

Cassandra sighed loudly, "Hell if I know. She and Dean seem to have cleared out of here already," she scratched her head and vaguely recalled Alexis telling her she was leaving.

"Was she conscious last you saw her?" Bobby asked.

"Yeah, uh, actually I kinda remember her lettin' me know she was leaving, but I was half asleep."

"Well girl, get yourself back here. We are gonna need all the help we can get with Sam."

"Yes Uncle Bobby. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Cassandra was fiercely loyal to her uncle. He had been her rock for as long as she could remember. When she was younger and her parents would drop her off with Bobby while they were off hunting Bobby would treat her like a child rather than a hunter to be. Granted her "kid-time" was generally spent fixing cars, doing chores around the house and salvage yard, and sometime playing with Sam and Dean whenever they were around. The closest Cassandra ever came to having a 'normal' childhood was the times she spent with her Uncle Bobby.

After she hung up with Bobby she tried calling Dean. No answer and she didn't bother leaving a message. Cassandra was alone now and that meant she could do what she felt she needed to do. Getting off the bed and heading across the room to her duffel bag she took out a small, plastic baggie with a small amount of white powder.

"Damn," she whispered to herself. She was almost out and would have to get more soon.

Cassandra hated this habit. She managed to get pick it up soon after Alexis mysteriously disappeared. It started one night while hanging out in a bar when she was feeling lower than dirt. She had been trying for weeks to find just a trace of her best friend with nothing to show for it. She was already pretty smashed when a beautiful man approached her and told her he could make all her troubles disappear, so she went back to his place.

The first time she got a decent line into her system she started flying. All of a sudden everything that was making her miserable dulled and her brain went into overdrive solving every problem she had. Instead of getting to work on fixing her world, like she wanted to, she had sex with a complete stranger and snorted line after line of cocaine. That's where her habit started and it got progressively worse over the years.

She poured the drugs onto the table, broke up the few chunks that were still there, and pushed it into a thin white line, "Woah!" she called aloud as the drugs almost immediately hit her brain, and coughed. Cassandra didn't do this every day, maybe three times a week. Only to stay awake on long drives, or at least that's what she told herself.

Alexis and Dean arrived at Bobby's pushing noon. Dean rushed into the house, followed by Alexis.

Sam was passed out on the couch, looking like a garbage truck had run him over, and he had lost a fight with a lawn mower. Dean took one look at his brother, then one at his sister and his fury levels increased.

"Bobby. Bobby!" he yelled, "Bobby where the hell are you?"

Bobby descended the stairs as he called out, "I'm right here Dean! Quit your yellin'. It's giving me a headache."

"Really?" Dean scoffed, "It's giving you a headache? Well how the hell do you think Sam feels? Or how about Alexis? You think their heads are in tip top shape?"

Bobby just shrugged his shoulders, looked to Alexis and smiled, "Hey Alex, how are you?" he motioned to her bandaged arm.

She blushed and looked at her feet, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Good to hear," Bobby said pleasantly while walking into the living room.

"Really, small talk? Are you serious?" Dean's voice was louder than necessary.

Bobby grinded his teeth, "Dean, you can either use your inside voice or you can go to your room," his voice was calm, and very serious.

A laugh escaped Alexis and she clamped her hands over her mouth to prevent more.

Dean's face twisted with anger, "The hell are you talking about? I'm not four! I'm not going to my damn room! I don't even have a damn room!"

Bobby's voice remained calm, "Then you can go outside, I won't be yelled at in my own home."

Dean was at a loss for words, his mouth hung open and he didn't know how to respond. Instead of words he turned on his heel and pounded towards the back door.

"I better not hear that door slam," Bobby hollered after him.

It was killing Dean inside, being told what to do, but he obeyed and shut the door like a normal human being, but once he was outside violence ensued.

Alexis, doing her best not to laugh, stood up to follow Dean, but Bobby gently grabbed her shoulder.

"Best to let him cool off," Bobby frowned, "How about a beer?"

Alexis nodded nervously, "Sounds good.

"So how'd you do that?" Alexis asked after a while.

"Do what?" Bobby took a drink off of his beer.

"Make Dean," she paused looking for the right words, "Behave I guess."

Bobby laughed, "Hell, I didn't actually think it was gonna work, but I was sick of him throwing a fit. I guess my thought was, if he's gonna act like a toddler I'm gonna treat him like one. And hey, success."