No Exit
"I'm not going." Rian repeated for the third time.
They were sitting at a booth in Harvelle's Roadhouse. Ash had just found Andy Gallagher and the boys were getting ready to head out when Rian had talked to them. Oddly enough they weren't taking her refusal to go on the hunt too well.
"And why not?" Dean repeated, also for the third time. Sam was just watching her silently.
Rian hit her head against the table and left it there. She took deep breaths so that she wouldn't snap at Dean. She knew that yelling at him wouldn't do her any good.
"Because I know that I would be a liability on this hunt and I don't want to put you, or myself, in any more danger than is necessary." Rian said, her voice strained in an attempt to remain calm. She was tired of repeating herself.
"But what if-" Dean said,
"I've got a goddamned cellphone for a reason, Dean." Rian said through gritted teeth, "if something happens you can give me a call or you can use your pea sized brain and figure it out yourself."
"Fine," Dean said, standing abruptly.
"Good," Rian said with a smirk, "and when you get back you can tell me that I wouldn't have been a liability."
"You were right." Dean said with a sigh when Rian picked up the phone three days later, "It was too dangerous for you."
"Told ya," Rian said loftily, "how far out are you guys?"
"A few hours, we're gonna stop and get some food though." Dean told her, "we haven't eaten for awhile."
"Aight," Rian said, "See you in a few hours then."
She hung up the phone and turned back to Ash, who was teaching her about hacking. Rian figured that she could do a lot more research if she knew how to hack certain databases without getting caught. He had given her a few pointers on normal research too that she was grateful for.
She had been learning the basics of hunting but she was definitely far better at research.
"Los Angeles, California." Dean said, slamming the trunk of the impala. He'd carried Rian's things out as Rian had finished up learning a concept from Ash.
"What's in L.A.?" Rian asks as Dean walked to the driver's side door. Sam was leaning against the front of the impala drinking from a bottle of water.
"A young girl's been kidnapped by an evil cult." Sam explained as he pushed himself off the hood and turned to face the other two.
"Yeah? The girl got a name?" Rian asked leaning her chin on the roof of the impala and earning herself a glare from Dean.
"Katie Holmes." Dean told her, gesturing for her to get her head off the car.
"Isn't she an actress or something?" Rian replied laughing.
"Yeah," Dean said before turning to the Roadhouse, where indistinct shouting could be heard, "on the other hand, catfight."
"On the other hand none of our business," Rian called after the brothers who were now walking back into the roadhouse. She followed with a sigh when it became evident that neither of them were actually going to listen to her.
"I am your mother! I don't have to be reasonable!" Ellen yelled slamming her hand down on the counter. She was not facing Jo and Jo flipped her off behind the woman's back.
"You can't keep me here!" Jo yelled at her mother
"Don't you bet on that, sweetie!" Ellen yelled back, turning around to face Jo. "Are you gonna chain me up in the basement?" Jo asks, still yelling.
"You've had worse ideas than that recently." Ellen pointed out "You don't want to stay? Don't -Go back to school!"
"I didn't belong there! I was a freak with a knife collection!" Jo said, frustrated.
"Getting yourself killed on some dusty back road -That's where you belong?" Ellen asked, she noticed Dean, Sam, and Rian then and turned to them, "Guys, bad time."
"Yes, ma'am." Dean replied right away, Rian rolled her eyes and mouthed an apology, "We rarely drink before 10:00 anyway."
"Liar," Rian grumbled. Oft times Dean would start his morning with a cold one.
"Wait." Jo said and marched over to the trio "I want to know what they think about this."
"I don't care what they think!" Ellen yelled as a young family of four walks into the pub
"Are you guys open?" The man asked nervously. He glanced at his wife to make sure that she actually wanted to be there
"Yes!" Jo yelled at the family
"No!" Ellen shouted at the same time.
"We'll just check out the Arby's down the road." The wife said.
As the family left the pub the landline started to ring. Jo and Ellen glare at each other until Ellen turned away to go answer said phone.
"Harvelle's." Ellen says, shooting a glare at her daughter before turning to face the phone. "Yeah, preacher."
Jo grabbed a file of the front counter and stalked over to Sam, Rian, and Dean. She held the file out to Dean as she began to explain what was going on
"Three weeks ago, a young girl disappears from a Philadelphia apartment." She began then she raised an eyebrow and shook the file in front of Dean, who was just staring at it, "Take it. It won't bite."
"No, but your mom might." Dean commented with a smirk as he took the folder and started flipping through it
"And this girl wasn't the first. Over the past 80 years, 6 women have vanished - All from the same building, all young blondes. It only happens every decade or two, so cops never eyeball the pattern. So we're either dealing with one very old serial killer-" Jo continued, explaining the case to the other two.
"Who put this together? Ash?" Dean interrupted, Rian immediately elbowed him causing the man to wince.
"I did it myself." Jo informed, Rian smiled proudly at her friend. She had offered to help but Jo had declined, wanting to do the work herself.
"I got to admit, we hit the road for a lot less." Sam pointed out when he finished reading the file for himself, handing it off to Rian who took a peek.
"Good." Ellen said, walking up to the group, "If you like the case so much, you take it." Jo began to protest but was interrupted by Ellen. "Joanna Beth, this family has lost enough. I won't lose you, too. I just won't."
"But Rian gets to travel with them," Jo argued, Rian flinched.
She'd been trying to find a way home recently. Ash had found nothing, she had found nothing, and there was else she was currently willing to even try. After nearly seven months she was hoping that she would have found a way home. Not that home was better, she was pretty much alone, but it was certainly safer.
"It's not like I do it by choice," She mumbled, turning and walking out of the Roadhouse. This was not a conversation that she ever wanted to be a part of. She did not want to discuss the reasons she was travelling with the Winchester's with anyone.
Sam followed Rian after a moment and found her in the back seat of the impala with her arms wrapped around her knees. Her eyes were red and she refused to look at the man as he got in the car next to her.
"Hey," Sam said kindly and quietly, laying a hand on her arm, "What's wrong Fin?"
"I- I just, it's... Sam, I miss my home." Rian said not looking at Sam, instead opting to stare at her feet, "I just want to go home and I'm not getting any closer to it no matter how much I try."
"It's okay, Rian," Sam said, scooting closer and pulling Rain into a hug, "we'll find a way, I'm sure."
"I feel like shit, honestly. I know everything that happens to both you and Dean and there is absolutely nothing that I can do about it." She started to cry, "I've tried Sam, and I've tried everything I know how to do. I don't know enough, Sam." she took a deep breath, "Sam I'm scared. I don't know if I can do this anymore."
"Hey now, Fin," Sam said, rubbing the girl's back, "We don't expect you to know everything. That's why we've been teaching you. That's why we've had Ash helping you. We'll work this out, all you gotta do is stay strong. Can you do that, Fin?"
Rian looked up at Sam with tears still in her eyes, "I can try Sammy. No promises, I can't exactly predict the future, now can I?"
"I don't know, Fin." Sam said, "maybe you're just a little bit psychic."
"Psychic and delusional, the perfect combination," Rian joked, wiping at her eyes, she leaned her head against Sam's shoulder, "thanks Sam."
"You two ready?" Dean asked, getting into the front and looking back at Sam and Rian with a smirk. Sam glared at him but Rian didn't look up from where she had rested her head. She knew that Sam probably wanted to move to the front but she wasn't quite ready to let go.
Instead of moving to the front like Rian had expected him to do Sam tightens his grip on her and nods to Dean, letting him know they were ready. They were pulling on to the main road when Rian realized that they weren't buckled.
"Sorry," She said, moving away from Sam to grab her buckle, "I've learned my lessons about these things."
She had gotten her cast removed a few weeks ago but she was still wary of using her arm. The rest of her injuries were mostly healed but they still gave her pain every once in awhile. For a few weeks she had forced the brothers to buckle up before driving, she was not going to let them die because of something so easily preventable.
Sam nodded his understanding and put his own seat-belt on before wrapping his arm around Rian's shoulder. She shifted to get more comfortable and rested her head on his shoulder again. Not even five minutes later Rian was asleep.
Dean looked back at Rian and Sam and smirked at his younger brother. He was planning on giving the both of them shit for this, specifically Sam. As much as he liked Rian he still was not quite comfortable around her. Sure, the girl was obviously loyal, but Dean wasn't sure if he believed her whole 'different universe' story. He'd seen a lot of shit in his life but that definitely took the cake.
Sam glared at Dean, knowing that he was in for a world of shit. But he found that he didn't care. He liked being there for Rian. It gave him something to focus on that was good. Something that wasn't the demon or whatever the hell was happening to him.
Rian was so much more than Sam had originally thought she was. It was obvious that the girl cared for the Winchesters and Sam would do his damndest to make sure that it wasn't thrown back in her face. At first he had thought she was going to be too weak minded for the job but she had proved time and time again that she was just as capable as anyone he knew.
Three hours into the drive Rian woke suddenly. She looked around with confusion before seeing Sam rubbing at his chin. She gave him a shy smile before looking through the front window. His arm was still around her shoulders and she found that she didn't want him to move it.
Sam, however, had other ideas. He pulled his arm back, flexing his hand to get his circulation flowing properly again. Rian leaned back with a sigh, throwing her head against the back of the seat.
"What's up?" Sam asked, shifting to look at Rian, who had her eyes closed.
"Bad dream," Rian said, not offering anything else.
"Ah," Sam said before looking out the window.
They stopped twice, once for food and once for gas. When they got to the apartment complex Rian immediately pulled out her laptop, not even bothering to exit the Impala. She looked up recent vacancies and showed Sam the list. He nodded before the brothers went in to talk to the manager.
In the last two hours the three had devised a plan. The three would see about renting a room hoping that staying in the complex where everything was happening would help the case go faster. Rian had been trying to remember what had happened but the only thing she could come up with was some homeless looking creep.
Before that though they would take the night off at a motel. They had decided that it would be better to get some rest somewhere that was most likely not haunted before having to lodge with a potential threat.
"Can you hand me Jo's file, Dean?" Rian asked as soon as they were in a room. Not really waiting for an answer before logging onto her laptop and starting her own research for the case. She turned to give Dean a small smile when he handed her the file but otherwise ignored the other two.
Rian could hear the two brothers talking softly but chose to ignore it. She spent the next two hours collecting her own data to compare with Jo's. She trusted what Jo had found but she wanted to get more practice researching with the tips that Ash had given to her.
"What the hell did you do to your hair?" Dean asked when Rian shut the door to the bathroom the following morning.
"I figured I was due for a change." Rian said with a shrug as she shoved her things back into her bag. "So I dyed my hair. Does it really look that bad?"
Dean finally looked away, shaking his head, "Nah, it's good, Fin." he ruffled her hair before walking past her into the bathroom.
"Fin?" Sam asked when he spotted her at the table only five minutes later.
"Yeah?" Rian asked, looking up at Sam with a raised eyebrow.
"Your hair." Sam trailed off, holding up a water bottle halfway to his mouth.
"Is blonde, you're very observant." Rian quipped as she shut the lid to the laptop and picking up the file Jo had given them.
"Isn't blonde the M.O. for the vics." Sam asked, shifting his weight and pointing an accusing finger at Rian who just grinned.
"Is it?" She asked innocently before stuffing her laptop and the file into her backpack and shouldering her duffle to take out to the impala.
"You're not gonna be bait." Sam told her, following Rian out to the impala. He placed a hand on the trunk, preventing Rian from opening it.
"Sam, last I checked you're not the boss of me," Rian said, lowering her things to the ground, "and anyways, I would make terrible bait, I'd be too scared and I'd bail."
"Then why'd you dye your hair blond?" Sam asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I didn't." Rian said with a shrug, Sam just continued to stare at her with an unamused expression, "No seriously Sam. It's a wig."
"What?" Sam asked, his expression morphing into one of confusion.
"Seriously, touch it." Rian said, offering him a strand of the coarse, obviously fake, hair.
"And this is supposed to convince me you don't want to be bait how exactly?" Sam questioned, letting his hand fall back to his side.
"I'm not crazy to the point where I would want to put myself in danger," Rian pointed out primly, "I'm simply prepared."
"I feel kind of bad, snaking Jo's case." Sam said when they reached the apartment complex. They began their hunt by looking around the last room that the abduction had taken place in.
"Well, maybe she put together a good file," Dean started, "But could you see her out here working one of these things? I don't think so."
"I think she could, she's twenty times better than I'll ever be." Rian remarked looking at a piece of goo on the floor by a vent with a frown. She recognized it from somewhere but she wasn't sure why.
"You getting anything?" Sam asked, he was looking at the opposite side of the room. He picked up a dirty wrapper with a grimace.
"No, not yet." Dean grumbled as he searched to the right of Rian
"Guys," Rian called, holding up the goo, finally recognizing it from the show. One of the cools things about memories is that cues came in often random forms. Like the black ectoplasm of an angry psycho-ghost.
"What's that?" Dean asked crouching next to Rian.
"What?" Sam asked before he recognized what Rian was holding up, "Holy crap. That's ectoplasm."
"Well, Sam, Fin, I think I know what we're dealing with here." Dean said placing a hand on each of their shoulders as he stood up. "It's the stay-Puff marshmallow man."
"Dean, I've only seen this stuff like twice." Sam said as he stood up with the ectoplasm between his fingers., "I mean, to make this stuff, you have to be one majorly pissed-off spirit."
"Let's find this badass before he snags any more girls." Rian said in her best Dean impersonation as she wiped the ectoplasm off on said man's coat, earning herself an indignant glare.
"Yeah, it's a great building." They heard someone say before a man and a woman, Jo, walked around a corner, "I fixed it up real nice. All the apartments come furnished, too." Sam and Dean hide while Rian just watches with a smile.
"Yeah, I love the furnishings." Jo said, dancing on a thin line between friendly and flirting, "It's so spacious, and the location is so convenient for me."
"What the hell are you doing here?" Dean growled, stepping from his hiding place when the two of them were closer to him.
"There you are, honey." Jo said, not in the least surprised to see him. She sauntered up to Dean and latched herself onto his arm, "This is my boyfriend, Dean, my sister Rian and her boyfriend Sam." When Jo said that Rian hooked her arms around one of Sam's and smiled shyly and the man in front of them, she and Jo had discussed this part of Jo's plan via text on the way over.
"Good to meet you." The man said, nodding to the newcomers. "Quite a gal you got here."
"Yeah, she's a pistol!" Dean grunted elbowing Jo. Sam and Rian exchanged a look.
"So, did you already check out the apartment?" Jo asked, when Dean didn't respond she added "The one for rent." along with an elbow to the man's side
"Yeah." Dean said after a moment, "Yes. Loved it. Great flow."
"How'd you get in?" The man, Ed if Rian remembered correctly, asked suspiciously.
"It was open." Dean shrugged. Both Rian and Sam rolled their eyes.
"Now, Ed, when did the last tenant move out?" Jo asked in an almost desperate attempt to distract the man. She knew that they couldn't afford anymore questions if they wanted to get the room.
"Uh, about a month ago." Ed replied, glancing between the four people in front of them. "Cut and run, too. Stiffed me for the rent."
"Well, her loss, our gain," Jo said sickly sweet, she jabs Dean with an elbow as she says the next part, "Because if Dean-O loves it, it's good enough for me."
"Oh, sweetie." Dean grimaced, clutching at his side.
"We'll take it." Jo said, saving Dean from having , handing over a wad of cash she had pulled from her wallet.
"Okay." Ed said pocketing the money.
Sam and Rian go out to the impala to get the rest of their gear while Jo and Dean go to work out the finer details of the room they were paying for. Naturally, they were renting the apartment under fake credentials.
"Do you know this case?" Sam asked quietly as he closed the trunk of the impala.
Rian shifted her backpack on her shoulders before answering, "Ya," She said simply, "but it's not one that I need to mention anything on. Except maybe that this building was on a field and the prison next door is the one we need to be worried about. But don't tell Jo. This is an important case for her."
"'kay," Sam said after a few moments of thinking it over, "Will do Fin."
"Thanks Samantha," Rain said with a wink.
"Okay, if you call me again then this deal and every previous deal will be terminated." Sam told her with a stern face.
"Terminated?" Rian said with a grin, "should I just call you the terminator now? Huh, Samantha?"
"You are asking for it." Sam warned her with a frown.
"Do your worst, Samantha," Rian called over her shoulder as she lugged her belongings into the building.
"Finley Errian Ora Fitzgerald." Sam called in a warning tone. She just laughed continuing on her path to the door.
Rian let out a yell of surprise when her bags were wrenched from her hands. She started to laugh as she was thrown over Sam's shoulders. She glanced at the bags Sam was now carrying and let out a sound of protest.
"Sam let me down." Rian laughed, "let me carry my own shit."
"I didn't know potatoes could talk." Sam mused with a smirk.
"You little shit, did you just call me a potato?" Rian nearly yelled. She started to pound on his back.
"You know, that actually feels good," Sam pointed out, Rian immediately stopped her abuse of Sam's back.
"You're an ass." Rian pointed out when Sam had put her on the ground inside the building.
"Thanks." Sam said before leading Rian up to the room on the fifth floor that the four of them would be staying in for the duration of the hunt.
"I'll flip you for the sofa." Jo was saying to Dean, when Sam and Rian entered, setting her second copy of the file on the table.
"Does your mother even know you're here?" Dean asked eyeing Jo suspiciously from his spot at the four person table.
"I told her I was going to Vegas." Jo said with a shrug, taking a seat in one of the chairs.
"You think she's gonna buy that?" Dean asked eyeing Jo like he thought she was stupid.
"I'm not an idiot." Jo said rolling her eyes, "I got Ash to lay a credit-Card trail all the way to the casinos."
"And I helped him" Rian called from the kitchen, she had made the boys pick up some groceries on their way over and she had just finished putting them away, she walked into the other room and took a seat at the table, "it actually wasn't as hard as I thought it would be."
"You shouldn't help her," Dean reprimanded, glaring at Rian before he turned to Jo "and you shouldn't lie to your mom. You shouldn't be here, either."
"Well, I am, so untwist your boxers and deal with it." Jo said, poking Dean in the chest.
"Where'd you get all that money from, anyways?" Sam asked, taking a seat at the table.
"Working at the roadhouse" Jo told them, "I'm not helpless."
"Hunters don't tip that well." Dean argued
"They aren't that good at poker, either." Jo smirked before she stood up and sauntered to kitchen.
The brothers were silent until Dean's phone began to ring. Rian raised an eyebrow at him
"Yeah?" there was a pause "Oh, hi, Ellen." Jo walked over and glared at Dean "I haven't seen her." a second pause, "Yeah, I'm sure." another pause "Absolutely" Dean hangs up the phone and glares at both Rian and Jo
"This place was built in 1924." Jo said once she was sitting back down at the table, everyone else was seated there with her, except Dean who had started pacing, "It was originally a warehouse, converted into apartments a few months ago."
"Yeah?" Dean asked skeptically, "What was here before 1924?"
"Nothing," Jo said, "An empty field."
"So the most likely scenario- Someone died bloody in the building, and now he's back and raising hell." Jo glanced at Rian who smiled encouragingly at the girl, "I already checked. In the past 82 years, zero violent deaths, unless you count a janitor who slipped on a wet floor." She glared at Dean "Would you sit down, please?"
"So, have you checked the police reports, county death records?" Sam started only to receive an elbow in the side and a raised eyebrow by Rian.
"Obituaries, mortuary reports, and seven other sources." Jo cut him off, she took out her hunting knife and started flipping it, always catching it by the handle, and added, "I know what I'm doing."
"I think the jury's still out on that one." Dean said sarcastically glaring at Jo "Would you put the knife down?"
"Okay." Jo said stabbing the table with the knife. Winking at Rian she stood and walked into the kitchen
"So, uh, it's something else, then." Sam said, unsure of what else to do. "May be some kind of cursed object that brought a spirit with it."
"We got to scan the whole building." Jo said crossing her arms as she walked back into the room with a bagel in her hands.
"Right. So, you and me," Dean pointed between Jo and himself "We'll take the top two floors, Sam and Rian you check downstairs."
"We'd move faster if we split up." Jo pointed out and Rian nodded her head in agreement.
"Oh, this isn't negotiable." Dean growled before going to get the items he would need for the search. He missed seeing both Rian and Jo roll their eyes at him.
"So, are you gonna buy me dinner?" She asked Dean, almost joking. The man was less than three inches from her. They had been searching the floor for only three minutes but she was already annoyed with Dean.
"What are you talking about?" Dean asked, glaring at Jo. Still obviously not happy with her being there.
"It's just if you're gonna ride me this close, it's only decent you buy me dinner." Jo said stepping away from Dean a little bit, wanting to create some space between the two of them.
"Oh, that's hilarious." Dean growled, "It's bad enough I lied to your mom, but if you think I'm letting you out of my sight - I don't know if you noticed, but you're kind of the spirit's type."
"Exactly." Jo agreed smirking at Dean who stared back at her incredulously.
"You want to be bait?" Dean asked, he stopped and stared at Jo, "Fin too! What is it with you women?"
"It's the quickest way to draw it out, and you know it." Jo looked at Dean who just stared at her, "What?"
"I'm so regretting this." Dean sighed turning away while shaking his head in exasperation. Jo followed and grabbed him pulling him back to face her.
"I've had it up to here with your crap." Jo told him holding her hand out so that it was level with her head.
"Excuse me?" Dean asked, looking confused and chargrined.
"Your chauvinist crap." Jo reiterated, knowing that Dean wouldn't otherwise understand her, "You think women can't do the job."
"Sweetheart, this ain't gender studies." Dean told her gruffly, "Women can do the job fine. Amateurs can't. You got no experience."
Jo huffed crossing her arms in front of her, "What about Rian? She's obviously a new hunter and you still travel with her"
"This isn't about Fin," Dean said glowering at Jo, feeling an almost uncharacteristic need to defend the other woman, "She doesn't really have a choice, but that's her story to tell, not mine. What you do have is a bunch of half-Baked romantic notions that some barfly has put in your head."
"And now you sound like my mother." Jo pointed out angrily.
"Oh, and that's a bad thing?" Dean asked, "Because let me tell you…"
"What?" Jo demanded with a glare when Dean trailed off.
"Forget it." Dean grumbled turning away from Jo who moved to stay in the older man's line of sight.
"No, you started this." Jo challenged, not letting Dean finish.
"Jo, you got options." Dean said with a sigh, "No one in their right mind chooses this life. My dad started me in this when I was so young. I wish I could do something else."
"You love the job." Jo pointed out with a smirk.
"Yeah, but I'm a little twisted." Dean relented
"You don't think I'm a little twisted, too?" Jo asked raising an eyebrow.
"Jo, you got a mother that worries about you," Deans pressed, wanting Jo to understand, "Who wants something more for you. Those are good things. You don't throw things like that away. They might be hard to find later."
Jo glared at Dean then nodded and they continued their search on the floors.
Sam and Rian walked through the bottom two floors quickly, Sam explained everything they're supposed to do as they do it. Rian paid close attention to everything Sam said and even pointed out a few things to Sam.
"Hey," Rian said, grabbing Sam's arm to get the taller man's attention, "There's more of that ectoplasm. Right here."
Sam crouched down in front of the ectoplasm and then looked back at Rian, "Nice find," He told her with a smile, "We should go back to the room now, this is the last place we needed to check."
Rian nodded and followed Sam back to the room, watching him closely and smiling. She knew that Sam was going to go through hell in the next few years, literally, but she also knew that Sam would fundamentally never really change. He'd still be the caring moose that he was now.
Once they got back to the room Rian explored while Sam looked over the file that Jo had created again. The apartment had two bedrooms and one bathroom. Most of the walls were paneled and there was a brick accent wall with an electric fireplace right in front of it. In the living area there was a leather couch and a matching leather chair. Next to the couch was an end table with a potted plant sitting on it along with a cheap lamp. In the corner of the room there was a small TV. The kitchen was relatively new and the cabinets were light and contrasted rather nicely with the dark laminate flooring that ran the length of the house.
When Rian was done looking at the decently sized apartment room she sat down with Sam and read through the file again. The dining room table is a dark red color and over it is a simple chandelier and lights up the room. After a while of going through the files Sam looked over at Rian and sighed.
"Your hair," He said and Rian stares at him smiling sheepishly, "You knew the M.O. on the victims and changed your hair."
"We had this discussion earlier Sammy," Rian reminded him, "It's just a wig."
Rian nodded slowly as the front door opened and Jo and Dean walked in. They had obviously been arguing and Rian shook her head before she got up and went to the kitchen. She started making some pasta from some of the supplies she had purchased earlier and then went back to the table where Dean and Jo were sharing what they found with Sam.
"Nothing really on the top two floors." Jo said before turning to Sam with a strained smile not even looking at Rian, "What did you guys find?"
"Ectoplasm in the basement but that's pretty much it," Rian replied, Jo refused to look at her. She shot Dean a confused look and the man just shrugged obviously not .
Rian shrugged and turned to Sam who was watching her. She smiled and then cleared her spot before going to the couch with her laptop and writing up the case so far. The entire night Jo ignored Rian which confused the girl, she had no clue why she suddenly wasn't in Jo's good graces. They had been getting along well so far.
"What's up Fin?" Sam asked, he sat down on the couch where Rian had been looking at the cup of tea in her hands. It was just past two in the morning and Jo had gone to bed an hour earlier after the two had sat in silence for nearly two hours. Dean was in the other bedroom.
"Have you ever looked up the meaning of your name, Sam?" Rian asked, her voice soft. She didn't look over at him.
"Not really, why?" Sam asked, sensing the conversation they were about to have was going to be somewhat long Sam shifted so that he was more comfortable on the couch next to Rian.
"I looked up my names once, y'know, I have a few of them to go around." Rian chuckled, "Finley means fair hero. I've always tried to be fair to other people."
"What are you getting at?" Sam asked looking down at the top of Rian's head.
"It- It's nothing really," Rian waved him off, "Sorry to bother you."
She made to get up but Sam stopped her with a hand placed gently on her knee. Rian sighed and sat back down before leaning into Sam. She laid her head on his shoulder.
"What do your other names mean?" Sam asked, curious now.
"Well, Ora means light. It was my great grandmother's name. Errian is a variation of Erin which is an old poetic form of Ireland which is named after a goddess. Although, my mom told me it was a variation of the name Aaron who was the older brother of Moses, a protector of sorts. The name is also thought to mean exalted." Rian said, barely pausing for a breath, "You know, I looked up the meaning of your name once. My friend had a baby and I was helping her find baby names."
"And what did you find?" Sam asked gently.
"Well, Samuel means name of God, or God has heard. I'm not particularly keen on that definition. Sam, however, means sun child or bright sun." Rian chuckled, "you know, I also believed that people grew to fit their names. Like names are just part of what makes us who we are. Say, if my name had been Patricia I would have been a completely different person."
"I've never really thought about that." Sam said, "I think all of your names fit you, Finley."
"Did you know that Samantha means listen, as well as name of God." Rian said, making Sam groan, "don't you think that's a little sexist?"
"Rian," Sam groaned
"Sorry, Sam" Rian apologized, "and thank you."
"Any time." Sam promised. They were quiet for a few moments for Sam spoke again, "can you tell me about your life? Y'know before you suddenly appeared in this place."
"Uh, sure. But it wasn't exactly that interesting." Rian said, not sure what had brought this on, "what would you like to know?"
"Did you play sports?" Sam asked, his voice a pleasant rumble.
"I threw in track, discus, javelin, and shot put. I was alright, not state level but I usually placed. Nothing too impressive. But I was mostly musically involved." Rian told him, she let out a yawn, comforted by the warm presence of Sam.
"How so?" Sam asked, his interest piqued.
"Well I played the cello and the saxophone. I was in my school's orchestra, jazz band, and marching band." Rian let out another yawn, "Again, I never got very good."
"Where does the researching come into play?" Sam questioned.
"I wanted to be a research librarian." Rian let him know, "all I really knew was that they could research so I practiced. I also really enjoyed finding out information that I didn't know."
"And the forensics?" Sam asked, he was now absentmindedly playing with a lock of Rian's now short hair.
"Sherlock Holmes was a great inspiration for that." Rian said sheepishly, she automatically sobered though, "but mostly it's because of something that" she yawned, "happened when I was," another yawn, "younger. Ah, sorry. I should probably hit the hay." Rian shifted off of Sam so that the young hunter could get up.
"Oh yeah, sure." Sam said although he didn't move. He was quite comfortable next to Rian and it was nice to feel that way with someone.
"Sam?" Rian asked, wondering why the man wasn't moving. He was supposed to be sleeping on the floor. They'd flipped coins for the sleeping arrangements with Dean and Jo getting the rooms and Sam and Rian getting the living room.
"Sorry," Sam apologized with a shake of his head, finally moving off the couch.
With a groan Rian curled into a ball and flipped around so that she was facing the back of the couch. She always felt more comfortable that way, safer. It was a habit she had picked up when she was younger and had nightmares. She would sleep in the living room rather than her own bed and she had pretended that the back of the couch was another person.
In the morning Rian went with Sam on his coffee run. She hadn't slept very well and was not surprised to learn that Sam hadn't slept well either. Rian had been plagued by nightmares that she couldn't quite remember anymore.
"How you doing?" Sam asked when they were in the impala on the way back to the complex. The two had been silent except for when they were ordering.
"I'm alright." Rian said, adjusting her wig, "just tired is all."
"Didn't sleep much last night?" Sam asked glancing at Rian before turning his attention back to the road.
"Yeah." Rian replied before taking a sip of her chai. She wasn't one for coffee but she did love the caffeinated drink that Sam had purchased for her. She gave Sam a knowing look,"Seems to be a common occurrence around here."
"Fin," Sam warned, he did not want to talk about his dreams. Not now, not ever if her could help it.
"Yeah, yeah." Rian dismissed with a wave of her hand, "just remember that if you ever want to talk about it I'm all ears, Sam."
"Thanks Rian," Sam gave a soft chuckle, "same goes for you."
"Where's the coffee?" Dean questioned when Sam and Rian walked into the apartment. They had decided to take the stairs rather than the elevator. Rian was still breathing hard. Dean smirked at her. She opted for the mature response and stuck her tongue out at him.
"Mature." Dean quipped while taking the offered coffee from Rian.
She tried to hand Jo a coffee but the slightly younger woman wouldn't even look at Rian. She glanced at Dean confused before shrugging. She set the coffee on the counter before grabbing her bag and heading into the spare room. She had a few things she wanted to check up on and she wasn't about to deal with Jo being such a brat.
She only wanted to get a little bit of reading done. She'd started a good novel but hadn't had the time to really get into it. After about an hour of reading though she felt herself nodding off. Rian knew that taking a nap during the day would do nothing to help her sleeping problems so she stood to go back out to the main room.
Rian was about to throw open the door when a hand clamped down over her mouth. She tried to struggle but the lack of air soon made her world go black.
Rian looked around her and noticed that she was not in a cell like she had expected to be. That led her to worry about whether or not Holmes had been the one to get her. If not then she was in a definite pickle. The room she was in was the one that she had been in when Sam and Dean had found her, the room in Aberdeen that was both hers and not hers. Sitting on the desk that had been in the room was Azazel. He was watching Rian with a disgusting amount of interest that made her want to throw up..
"You." She said, glaring at the demon, "Why are you in my head?"
Azazel smirked but does not answer right away, like he knew that it would make Rian squirm. She was in no way comfortable with that thought. "You're interesting." Azazel remarked after a moment, "A conundrum even. You're not supposed to exist. And yet here you are."
"What?" Rian asked.
Azazel's smirk widened into a grin, "You will be most useful Finley Errian Ora Fitzgerald, most useful indeed."
"What do you want?" Rian asked, tilting her head to the side, "I mean, I'm not even going to bother with the obvious question which is: how the hell do you know my name?"
"All in good time." Azazel said and suddenly he was gone.
"Hello?" A voice, a young woman, calls, "Is -Is anybody there?"
"Your name's Theresa?" Jo asked as she begins to struggle against her bonds. She had woken up next to the limp form of Rian in a cage. She had been going into apologize to her friend after a conversation with both Sam and Dean. She had panicked upon finding the room empty and the next thing she knew was a pounding headache.
"Yes." Theresa replied, her voice relieved.
"This won't make you feel better, but we're here to rescue you." Jo called, her voice light. She glances at the limp form of her friend and was about to shake her awake when Rian suddenly sat up with a gasp, looking panicked and confused.
"Oh, god." Theresa groaned as the sound of footsteps reached her cell. "He's out there. He's gonna kill us!"
"No, he won't! We're getting out." Jo yelled, Rian flinched at the sound in her ear but otherwise doesn't pay attention to what they are saying as she tries to work a pin out of her hair. "My friends are looking for us."
"Oh, god, it's him!" Theresa whined, ignoring Jo.
"Shh! Just be quiet!" Jo hushed urgently. Rian grinned when she finally got the pin out of her tangled wig and she focused back on the hand that was now reaching to stroke her leg. She grimaced and fought the urge to throw up when the abhorrent hand caressed her skin just above her ankle.
"You're so pretty." A gravelly voice murmured. The voice reminded Rian of moldy cheese and rotten milk and it made her want to throw up even more, "So beautiful."
"Go to hell!" Rian yelled slashing out at the hand. The hand leaves the cell that Jo and Rian are in "How do you like that?! Huh? Try it again so I can cut your friggin hand off!"
"Is he gone?" Theresa asked, her voice cracking.
"I don't know." Rian replied honestly. She squirmed a bit in discomfort and then moved so that she was not right next to Jo.
"I-" Theresa started but she's interrupted by a yell from none other than Dean Winchester
"Hey! No! Fin! Jo! I'm here!" Dean said when Rian tries to stab his hand with the pin that she has. She winks when his face comes into view and Dean just shakes his head at her.
"Hey." Jo said, relieved, she moves so that she's right next to Rian again and shivers.
"I'm gonna get you out of here, alright?" Dean said pulling something out of his pants.
"Sam!" Dean yelled as he begins picking the lock on the door.
"Hang on." Sam called back, he moved over to the cell that Theresa was in and starts to lock pick it.
"You alright?" Dean asked when they get out of the cell. He was looking at Jo, which made Rian roll her eyes with a smirk
"I've been better." Rian replied anyways before going to help Sam pull a limp Theresa out of her cell.
"Let's get the hell out of here before he comes back." Jo grunted, leaning on Dean for support.
"Actually, I don't think you're leaving here just yet." Rian said at the same time as Dean, she shares a look of shock with Dean.
"What?" Jo asked, looking between the two of them.
"Remember when I said you being bait was a bad plan?" Dean asked, Jo nodded, "Now it's kind of the only one we got."
Jo started breathing harder and Rian stepped in front of her and put her hands on Jo's shoulders. She smiled reassuringly when Jo looked at her.
"How do you stay so calm?" Jo asked Rian raising an inquisitive eyebrow., "The only time I've ever seen you not calm was last night, and even then you were pretty fuckin' calm."
'I'm scared as hell, Jo. I'm friggin terrified." Rian's smile widens into a grin, "But lemme tell you a secret. I don't care if you believe it but it's the truth." She rushed to say the next bit, not allowing Jo to interrupt her, "I'm from an alternate universe where all this shit is a TV show. I know some of the big stuff that's going to happen for the next ten years."
"What." Was her response from Dean.
"That's what I thought too," Rian said, "But I also trust the Winchesters with my life and if they let anything happen to us we'll just be the most annoy ghosts they'll ever have to deal with, alright?"
"Well, let's do this then" Dean announced after Jo nodded.
They had cemented in Holmes, just like Rian and Sam had planned to do. Dean was off taking Theresa to a local hospital while the three others waited for the cement to harden, just to make sure the plan had worked.
"So is this job as glamorous as you thought it would be?" Rian asked after a few minutes of silence.
"Well, except for all the pee your-pants terror, yeah." Jo chuckled, "But that Theresa girl's gonna live a life 'cause of us. It's worth it, isn't it?"
"Yeah." Sam answers for Rian, "Yeah, it is."
When they got back to the apartment after stopping for food at a diner in the town they found Ellen leaning against the wall outside the door. Jo winced and pushed past her mother into the room after Dean unlocked the door. Ellen hung back outside and gestured for Rian stay out in the hall with her. Sam passes them with a look of pity to Rian.
"You knew she was here and you didn't tell me," Ellen said coldly after a moment and Rian winced, "You know I didn't want her to hunt."
"Is there anything I can tell you that will help?" Rian asked closing her eyes, "I mean the truth would probably get me in more trouble but I'm sure it couldn't hurt, right?"
Ellen nodded before speaking, "The truth, in full, and then maybe I might forgive you."
Rian nodded and looked at Ellen. After she finished explaining what happened to her Ellen pushed off the wall and pulled Rian into a hug. Rian hugs her back, happy that Ellen believes her, happy that Jo had believed her. Happy that for once things were looking up.
"I also know about what happened to your husband," Rian added, pulling back. She wanted Ellen to know the whole truth, "and I know how you feel about the Winchesters. I'm sorry for not telling you. However I did tell Ash to cave."
Ellen gives Rian a small smile, "I know the boys are better than their father but that man was the love of my life."
"I understand," Rian assured, "and by the way, not that this is any of my business and I really hope I'm not overstepping any boundaries. But I think you should tell Jo. She's stronger than even she thinks."
"I know," Ellen conceded after a moment, "Thanks for keeping her safe, Rian."
"Not a problem, Ellen. I know I haven't known you guys long but you're family to me. Even if its not reciprocated."
"It is," Ellen assured. Rian pulled her in for another hug before running to grab her things.
"Well, you -You really weren't kidding about flying out, were you?" Dean said after two hours of driving, "How about we listen to some music?" He turned on the radio and Ellen reached out automatically to turn it off.
"You're as cold as ice." Dean said, Ellen doesn't react, Dean lets out a sigh, "This is gonna be a long drive."
When they finally it back to the roadhouse Ellen and Jo get out of the car and slam the door to the impala in the same moment. Rian rolled her eyes and followed Sam out of the car.
"Ellen It was my fault." Dean apologized when they made it inside the roadhouse. Rian groaned and hit her forehead with her palm. "Okay? I lied to you, and I'm sorry. But Jo did good out there. I think her dad would be proud."
"Don't you dare say that. Not you." Ellen said turning cold eyes on Dean, "I need a moment with my daughter -Alone."
Dean nodded and left the roadhouse Sam following him. Rian gave Ellen and Jo both a reassuring smile before heading out to join the boys. Dean was leaning against the Impala and Sam was sitting on the trunk. Rian grinned and jumped up onto the trunk next to Sam. They sit in silence until Jo stormed out of the Roadhouse.
"That bad, huh?" Dean asked and Rian grimaced. Wanting to avoid this conversation Rian quickly and quietly went back into the roadhouse in search of Ash.
She quickly spotted Ash on his laptop by the bar and walks over to him with a grin. She reads over his shoulder, an article from MIT, for a moment before talking.
"Do you miss MIT?" Rian asked, taking a seat next to her mullet sporting friend.
Ash shrugged, "The learning part, not really. The girls? Hell yes."
Ash turned to grin and Rian who grinned back, "Any updates?" Rian asked.
"Nothing," Ash said with a grimace, "not a single lead."
Rian placed a hand on Ash's shoulder and smiled at him, "We'll find a lead someday, I'm sure. Thanks so much for helping me." She placed a kiss on Ash's cheek as Ellen walked over to them.
"Jo's pissed at Dean." Rian informed with a small smile, "But I think she's more upset at John and can't really take it out on him. She'll be fine."
Ellen nodded and then pulled Rian into a hug, nearly taking the girl off of her perch, "If you ever need a place to stay then you're always welcome here," Ellen told her pulling back but still keeping her hands on Rian shoulders, "I'm sure travelling with those boys all the time is a pain in the ass."
Rian smirked, "I've stayed here more often than I've went with them. But I'll remember that. I'll make sure we have a girl's night soon."
"And if I hear anything about how to help you I'll let you know."
"Thanks Ellen" Rian said, giving the woman another hug as Dean walked in.
"Come on, Fin." Dean barked, "We're leaving."
Rian rolled her eyes and smiled. "Men" she whispered to Ellen dramatically before following Dean out to the impala.
A/N: Hiatus was not as long as I thought it would be. Sorry about about that. I had a stressful few weeks and needed to focus. I had some personal things going on that are still being sorted out. I have three more weeks left of this schedule which is currently stressing me to the point of no return :c. My updates will be a lot more frequent with my schedule next quarter. I hope you guys enjoy, please let me know what you think!
-Ryn