Chapter 10

"…and that's pretty much it; they popped in just as I was exorcising my father then Sam and Dean suggested that we come see you, not that I realized that it'd be you. That make sense?" Nicole finished.

Bobby nodded, as he helped himself to more bacon. "And you have no idea as to who would be coming after her?" He nodded towards Toni who was washing dishes.

"Not at all." Nicole sighed.

"Got any ideas Bobby? Or any signs of demon activity?" Dean asked next.

"Nothing that would raise alarm, but it's something I can look into…"

"I'd appreciate it," Nicole smiled.

"It may take an extra day, can ya'll afford to wait around that long?" Bobby asked, moving to stand.

"Well, technically this does count as a case," Dean stated, glancing over at Sam who nodded.

"Alright," then he looked at Nicole, "what about you and your sister?"

"What about us?"

"After you figure out who this mystery demon boss is, are you going to go after it or step aside?" He asked seriously. She looked at the three of them, unsure of how to respond.

Nicole hadn't really given it much thought. She'd been out of the hunting circuit for a couple years and now she was tossed back in. She knew what she had to do and was well aware of the promises she made. She'd returned back to normalcy before, but can she do it again? This was a different case…it was personal.

"I'll cross that bridge when I get to it Bobby," she replied with the only thing she could think of. Bobby nodded then exited the kitchen, getting to work.

Nicole sighed, "just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!" She said as she channeled her inner Al Pacino making Sam and Dean laugh.

Toni joined them a few moments later, taking her sister's hand. "It'll be ok Sticky…"

"No it won't," Sam and Dean snickered. Nicole slammed her head against the table.

"Ya'll aren't helpful," Toni huffed as she began rubbing Nicole's head.

"Sorry, we're just being realistic," Sam stated.

"Yeah, it could take years to find this demon."

"If we find the demon,"

"Or if they find us," Dean shrugged. "They have followers and tracking is a big thing with them, so who knows,"

Nicole whined into the table and mumbled something inaudible. Toni continued to rub her head till the mumbling stopped. "So, what now?"

Sam and Dean exchanged a look then glanced at Toni, "we wait it out," Sam replied first.

"I'm gonna work on Baby, clean some of my guns…" he stated with a shrug. "The usual,"

"And I'll probably help Bobby research," Sam replied, shooting her a small smile.

"Yeah, let the nerd do what he does best," Dean grinned, getting up to ruffle his hair.

"Need any help?" Toni asked hopeful. She didn't like the idea of sitting around doing nothing and she was good at researching too, so why not?

"Really? You want to help research demon activity?" Sam asked.

"Sure! I'd like to learn what I can,"

Sam chuckled and nodded, "okay…"

Toni smiled then poked Nicole, noticing she was unusually quiet. "Sticky? Nicole?" Leaning forward, she heard faint snoring. "Seriously?" she asked her unconscious sister.

"What?" Dean asked, munching on another biscuit then moaning. "Damn, please tell me you're gonna cook dinner too,"

"Uh, sure? I saw some ribs in the freezer, think Bobby will mind if I cook-"

"No!" They both shouted. Toni was taken aback but nodded all the same.

"Okay…" she trailed off, still shaking and poking her sister.

"Want me to carry her upstairs? I'm sure a bed is more comfortable than the table," Dean stated, earning funny looks from Toni and Sam.

"Uh, sure! That'd be really nice of you," Toni smiled.

Finishing his biscuit, Dean positioned himself then scooped up Nicole without effort, disappearing from the kitchen.

"So, ready to get started?" Sam asked. Toni nodded eagerly as she followed him to Bobby's study.

Dean kicked open the door to the guest room upstairs and gently laid her down. She rolled onto her side, not at all disturbed by the transport. Dean pulled a quilt over her shoulders as she snuggled into the mattress. Before stepping away, he brushed a few stray hairs from her face.

His hand lingered on her ear then he lightly traced down her cheek and around her jawline. Dean's thumb caressed the underside of her bottom lip, cherishing the softness. Without thinking, Dean leaned forward and kissed the side of her temple. He sighed then left the room, closing it behind him.

"What are you doing Dean?" He said aloud, glancing behind him once then heading back downstairs.

Once the door was shut, Nicole opened her eyes, watching the door. She absentmindedly rubbed the spot where he kissed her, her mind running a million miles a minute. She closed her eyes, struggling to get back to sleep, pushing away all thoughts of Dean.

"Aside from the usual, like spraying a demon with holy water, you can say 'Christo', which means-"

"God in Latin." Toni finished.

Sam smiled, "Right, it makes them flinch," he paused, giving her a look, "how'd you know that?"

Toni blushed, "Instead of taking Spanish or French like the average student, I took Latin…thought it'd be more of a challenge," she replied, looking away.

"Impressive," he said simply, going back to scanning articles on his laptop. 'We got another nerd on the team' Sam thought with a smirk.

Toni spent a few hours in the study with Sam, pouring over various books and texts, familiarizing herself with demons and demonology. She learned about devil traps, possessions, exorcisms, and the use of salt. The more she read, the more she understood the events with her father.

"Question." Nicole asked.

"Shoot." Sam replied, not looking up from his laptop.

"After exorcising a demon, is there anyway the host can be saved?" Toni asked softly.

Sam looked up, staring at her doe eyed expression. He knew what she was thinking: had they done everything? Was there any way that they could've saved their father? Sam gathered his thoughts, knowing he had to tread carefully.

"I'm not sure. Demons can ride their host for months, years even. And depending on how they take care of the host or how long they reside, it just depends," Sam answered evenly.

Toni nodded then went back to reading. "Hey, there's nothing you or any of us could've done. Nicole said that the demon had been inside your dad for almost a year and we don't know the condition the demon left him in," he stated softly, reaching for her hand like he did the previous night.

Sam was growing increasingly comfortable with Toni the more they interacted and couldn't resist the physical contact. He hadn't felt this way for someone since Jessica. In all honesty, it was a nice feeling. Toni looked down at their hands and nodded again.

"Not going to lie to you…it does get harder from here, if you decide to stick around. But I promise you won't be alone and I will do my best to protect you," he sincerely, wondering if he was pushing her too soon.

"Thank you Sam, that's very sweet of you," she smiled, then stood up. "I'm going to get dinner started, thanks again for…everything," she said before exiting the room.

Letting out a breath, he attempted to refocus on the article in front of him, but failing miserably. He rubbed his face and massaged his temples. "Get it together Sam…" he muttered to himself.

Various moans and sighs filled the table as the five of them sat together at dinner. The second meal that Toni prepared for them was teriyaki glazed ribs, mashed potatoes, sweet corn, and garlic knots. Like breakfast, not single person left behind any leftovers. Toni smiled to herself as she watched them eat and resisted the urge to laugh when Dean tried to sneak food off Nicole's plate.

"Ouch, what the Hell?" He exclaimed, massaging his hand that Nicole just smacked with her fork.

"Mine," she growled, her cheeks smeared with sauce.

"Aren't you supposed to be a lady?" Dean asked, earning a snort from Toni.

Nicole pretended to think for a moment, then smiled, "nope!" She stated, inhaling the last of her ribs.

Even the health conscious Sam Winchester was licking the bones. "How come you didn't have any?" He asked, looking at her sparse late that only had sides and bread.

Toni opened her mouth, but her sister answered first, "she's an herbivore boys…she doesn't consume animals, but doesn't have a problem serving it to others,"

"Thanks sis…" she muttered sarcastically.

"No problem," Nicole winked.

Each of the men shot Toni perplexed looks. "Why would you deny yourself such a pleasure?" Dean gasped. "Oh the horror!"

Bobby shook his head, choosing to eat in silence. Toni continued to munch on her veggies, "I can do fine without meat in my life…"

Sam coughed loudly, his food going down the wrong pipe. He sipped his water, burning his throat in the process. Both Nicole and Dean smirked at the comment.

Nicole chuckled, "nah, way too easy…"

Bobby sighed then stood up, "ya'll are a bunch of immature idjits, I'm gonna check a few more sources then turn in," he stated as he stood up, "thanks for cooking kid," he said to Toni before leaving the room.

"Don't you want some of the pie?"

Dean dropped his fork at her statement, "there's pie?"

"Crap…" Sam muttered.

Bobby paused at the doorway, looking over his shoulder. "What kind?"

"Apple; I picked some from your orchid earlier, hope you don't mind," Sam and Dean went quiet as they watched for Bobby's reaction.

He gulped then shook his head, "maybe tomorrow," he said quietly as he continued to walk away.

Toni frowned, "did I do something wrong?" she asked the guys.

They looked at each other, "The orchid belonged to his wife…" Sam stated softly.

"Oh…did she-"

"Yes she did and no, you don't want to know why," Nicole spoke up. "And so it doesn't go to waste, I will try some," she said, quick to divert the situation.

"You'd better hurry, Dean's already helping himself," And sure enough, Dean had snuck away and located the pie, already a third in.

Having heard his name, Dean looked over with his mouth full and face littered with crumbs, "huh?"

"Seriously Dean?" Sam sighed.

"What?!" Dean replied, mouth still full. He swallowed before speaking, "pie is pie Sammy," he stated, taking another bite.

Sam shook his head as Nicole stood and headed towards Dean. "Dean, give me the pie," His eyes widened as he held the platter closer to him.

"No."

"I will fight you for that pie Dean."

Dean squared his shoulders and placed the pie on the counter behind him. "You challenging me McClaine?"

"You bet your sweet ass Winchester."

"So you think my ass is sweet eh?" Dean smirked.

Nicole rolled her eyes, "do you not remember our last fight? I will hurt you." She stated, taking a fighting stance.

"Is this really happening again?" Toni whispered to Sam.

"Sadly yes," he replied, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Can't believe my brother is fighting for pie…"

Toni laughed, "we have the best siblings,"

Off to the side, Nicole was on Dean's back and currently had him in a chokehold. He was flailing about, trying to buck her but she dug her knees into his back. Dean clawed her arms, trying desperately to shake her, only failing miserably.

"Say it Dean! C'mon, say it!" Dean muttered something inaudible, his face turning red. "I'll let you pass out on this floor Dean," Nicole said, leaning in to whisper in his ear, "say it…"

"Nicole is my King and I bow only to her!" Dean groaned.

Nicole smiled as she pushed off his back, releasing him from the hold. Grabbing the pie, she practically skipped out the kitchen. "Hey Bobby! Guess who won the pie?" She squealed happily.

Both Toni and Sam were laughing while Dean coughed, still on the floor. After a few moments, did he stand and began to exit the kitchen as well. Rubbing his throat, he turned to Toni, "your sister is a savage beast," he said with a raspy voice, leaving them alone.

"Has your sister always been so extreme?" Sam asked.

Toni nodded, "pretty much, she did a MMA and judo for almost ten years…best bodyguard ever,"

"Were you bullied?"

Toni bit her lip and nodded again, "I had skipped a grade in elementary school and was shorter than the majority of my peers so I stuck by her…" she trailed off with a shrug.

"She never taught you how to defend yourself?"

"She left before she could…" she whispered.

Seeing this conversation go south, Sam got an idea. "Would you be interested in me training you?"

"Like hunting a demon type training?" Toni asked.

Sam nodded, "Well, yeah. I mean, we'll be here for an extra day and anything could happen so I'd feel better if I could show you some stuff,"

Toni pondered this for a moment then agreed. "You do have a point…a demon could stroll up here tomorrow for all I know," she paused, sending Sam a small smile, "sure, I want to be prepared!"

No truer words had been spoken cause within twenty four hours, they would encounter yet another demon.