So I know it has been forever you guys, but I finally have an update for you guys. Somewhere in the midst of school, work, interning, and applying for another internship I kind of lost sight of where I was going with the story. I was really struggling with getting this chapter written for a while, obviously, but the other day I sat down and cranked the chapter out and I feel way better about it and have already started working on the next chapter.
A huge thanks to my beta Hawkeye'sBowGirl for always being ready to beta a chapter for me after months of radio silence. And a big thanks to those of you who favorited and followed the story even though there hasn't been an update in forever, I hope this makes up for it a little bit.
Also I wanted to give a shout out to Lady Eros for reviewing EVERY chapter even though I hadn't updated in forever, that was a huge motivation just by itself not to mention super impressive to leave a review for every chapter. Marcus S. Lazarus, your review was really in depth and helped me think about where I am going with the story. One more big thanks to XKaterinaNightingaleX and tigereyekum who have been leaving encouraging reviews for this story ever since I started writing it. To everyone who has reviewed who I didn't mention, thank you so much for your awesome reviews!
Dean and Aubri sat at a table while Sam went to get them some more drinks. A concerned look flashed across Aubri's face as she watched Dean try to call Ritchie yet another time. "Still no answer?" She asked quietly.
He shook his head as Sam sat back down at the table, placing a beer in front of each of them. "You do realize there's red meat within striking distance?" He said with a nod to Dean's untouched burger.
Dean pressed the call button one more time, "How many times do I have to tell him that he's gonna get himself killed?"
"Dean, you're assuming he's missing." Sam tried to reason, "I mean, maybe he just bailed."
"He's a moron, I mean he's a sweet moron, but he's not a coward. He wouldn't just bail." Dean argued. "I gotta go find him."
"Alright, I think I'm gonna trail this Trotter guy. I don't know, something about the way he looked at me last night, maybe there is something going on here."
Dean stood up from the table and Aubri's eyes followed him, "I'm gonna stay here with Sam, see if I can help any."
"You sure you don't want to help me find your little boyfriend?" Dean asked teasingly.
Aubri shook her head laughing quietly, "No, I think you've got that under control. Remember, he was supposed to have a hot date with that bartender anyways, so maybe he's just a little tied up."
"Yeah right," Dean scoffed as he walked away from the table.
"Hey Dean," she called out, causing him to turn around and look at her, "Be careful."
"Sure thing Blondie."
"So where to?" Aubri asked, turning to face Sam.
"I figured we'd check out his office, see if we can find anything there."
"Sounds good to me, lead the way Sammy." Aubri said, standing up and throwing a few bills on the table to cover the burger that Dean hadn't touched.
~TFS~
After Dean left to go find Ritchie, Aubri went with Sam to check out Trotter's office and see if they could find anything there. When they got there, Trotter was in his office with some mountain of a man. Aubri peeked around the corner to see what was going on when Sam's phone started ringing. Figuring it was Dean on the line and Sam would update her when he got off the phone with him, she kept her attention focused on the men in the office. "Meet us at the bar in 20 minutes."
She heard Sam say before hanging up. She saw the big guy start to leave Trotter's office and pushed Sam back down the hall before he saw them. "So what's the plan?" She whispered as the man walked back to Trotter's office after clearing the hallway.
Sam shrugged slightly, "Get in there, see if we find anything that points to Trotter being behind these killings, and then meet back up with Dean at the bar in 20."
Aubri nodded, then froze as she heard footsteps coming down the hallway again. She looked around the corner quickly to see Trotter and his goon walking away from his office. "Shall we?" She asked, nodding in the direction of the office.
"Follow me." Sam said with a nod.
When they got into the office Aubri shut the door behind her as Sam started to rifle through the papers on the desk. She looked through the calendar as Sam rummaged through the desk drawers. After looking around for a few minutes, they both came up with nothing and Aubri sighed as she leaned against the desk with a sigh, "I don't think there's anything here Sam." Just as she finished speaking, she heard voices approaching the office and froze. Meeting Sam's gaze for a moment, an idea formed in her head, "Sorry about this Sam, but just go with it ok?"
Before he had a chance to respond, she put her arms around his neck and put her lips to his just as the door clicked open. "What the hell are you doing in here?" Trotter asked angrily.
Moving her hands from around his neck to put them under his jacket, Aubri broke away from the kiss, a genuine blush spreading across her cheeks as she looked at Trotter and his goon. "Oh my God!" She exclaimed, pulling her hands away from Sam, clutching onto the flask that she had pulled from his back pocket. "I told you this was a bad idea." She said with a giggle, pushing Sam away, feeling bad because of the bewildered look in his eyes. She stumbled towards the two men, opening the flask and hoping she looked like she was drunk. "He said it would be fun, that no one would ever know, and silly old me believed him." She said to Trotter and the other man as she stumbled closer. When she got close enough she put her hand on Trotter's should, like she needed the support, and whispered conspiratorially "That's the last time I listen to a guy just cause he buys me a couple shots and says we can take the party somewhere else." At this she shook the flask around, as if to indicate that it was the party, and splashed Holy Water on the both of them. When nothing happened, she backed up a step, eyes wide, "Oh no, sorry, that was totally my bad."
Trotter's face turned an unhealthy shade of red, "You two get the hell out of here before I call the cops."
"Sorry," Aubri said again with a giggle, running back to Sam and grabbing his hand so she could drag him back out of the office, "Sorry about that!"
Once they got around the corner and out of sight, Aubri stopped and handed Sam his flask of Holy Water back. "What the hell was that Aubri?" He asked, finally able to speak.
"Me saving our asses and something we will never speak about ever again." She said, fixing him with a stare that had a dangerous quality. "I'm serious Sam, do not breathe a word of that to anyone, it didn't happen."
Sam nodded, "You don't have to tell me twice. Let's go, we have to meet up with Dean." He started to walk away and then stopped, looking back at her, "Are you going to tell Dean?"
Aubri sighed, "Yeah, I'll tell him, but don't make a big deal out of it ok? It was just an easy way to get out of there without you having to punch someone."
~TFS~
Dean was sitting at the bar, waiting for Sam and Aubri to show up when the lady sitting next to him at the bar turned to him and spoke, "You know, every woman in this bar just wants to eat you up."
He smirked and shook his head, "Hey, anyone could have tackled that guy, and wrestled the gun away, prevented mass murder."
She walked over to him and leaned close to whisper in his ear, "Here's what I'm gonna do, normally I charge $400 a night, why don't we call it an even deuce and get the hell out of here?"
Leaning back slightly he looked her in the eye, "What do I look like?"
"What do I look like?" She shot back as she walked away, muttering "Cheapskate."
The bartender laughed and looked at him, "Did you just strike out with a prostitute? How's that work?"
Dean leaned forward, resting his forearms on the bar, "Well, I just told her I had a think for the bartender. It was pretty easy."
"Who says the bartender's available?"
"That's a good question, you got something going with some guy, you know, about yea tall, wears a sweat suit?" Dean asked.
The bartender's brow furrowed, "Who?"
"Nevermind, my mistake. What do you say you and me grab a drink after your shift?"
She smiled, leaning forward, "What about 'your girl'? You know the cute blonde, pain in your ass, likes Jack and Coke?"
Dean chuckled, "Well, she's not exactly my girl, just a girl, if you know what I'm saying." He winced inwardly, hoping he was off the hook for this one since this bartender chick wasn't who she said she was and she had killed Ritchie.
"Well then, I say why wait til my shift ends when we can go right now?"
"Lead the way sweetheart." Dean said with a smile, getting up and meeting her at the end of the bar.
~TFS~
When they got to Casey's parent's house, Dean followed her inside and into the basement, looking around slowly. "Looks like the maid's day off." When Casey didn't answer, only looked around he asked, "Everything ok?"
She turned around and walked up to him, taking her jacket off and pressing a kiss to his lips, "Make yourself comfortable."
Dean walked around the room casually, taking in his surroundings, "Oh I forgot to mention, Ritchie was a friend of mine. When I realized I could track the GPS in his cellphone, I swung by earlier. Gave him a proper burial. It's better than rotting in some skank's basement." He smirked as Casey lunged at him and was jerked to a stop by the invisible barrier of the Devil's Trap he had drawn earlier that day. "Oops," he said, bending down to flip back the corner of the rug to reveal the spray paint on the floor, "isn't that a buzzkill? Sorry sister, but you're going back to where you came from."
Casey laughed quietly, "I don't think so."
Shaking his head, Dean pulled the journal out of his pocket and began the exorcism, "Spiritus immunde, undolara. Pasonitote…" A breeze blew through the room and Dean looked up to see Casey standing still with her eyes closed. He shook his head and resumed the exorcism, "Spiritus immunde, undo…" Before he could get any further, the pages with the exorcism were torn from the book and the book was blown out of his hands. It landed on the floor a few feet away and before he could get to it, a crack formed on the floor and the bricks around the door caved in, blocking the only exit. He turned to look at Casey, a shocked look on his face, "What are you laughing at bitch? You're still trapped."
"So are you… bitch." Casey said with a smirk.
Dean looked around and found some candles to light before going to take a closer look at the blocked off exit. "Lose something?" Casey asked from the confines of the Devil's Trap.
"All you demons have such smart mouths." Dean said with a laugh.
"It's a gift."
"Yeah, well let's see if you're smiling when I send your ass back to Hell."
"Without your little exorcism book?" Casey teased, "Hey, go ahead."
"Spiritus immunde…. Ummm…"
"Having a little trouble there sport?"
Dean cleared his throat and began again, "Spiritus immunde, undolare. Passonitote…" He took a breath, but couldn't remember the rest of the exorcism.
"Nice try, but I think you just ordered a pizza. Guess you should have paid more attention in Latin class."
"Hey, I don't know what you're smiling about. You're not going anywhere." Dean retorted.
"And apparently neither are you."
"Yeah, but I got people coming for me, and they did pay attention in class."
"Oh right, Sam and, what was her name again, the little blonde, Aubri."
"Yeah, she'll really enjoy sending your ass back to hell after she finds out about you kissing me. She seems sweet and all but she's got a jealous streak in her."
"So what you're saying is you are going to sit back and wait for your baby brother and your girlfriend to come and save you? How cute." Casey said with a smile.
Dean paused for a moment, "Well, no, I didn't say that, I… uh."
"So articulate Dean, no wonder everyone says Sam is the brains of the outfit."
"Everyone?" Dean asked, not liking the sound of that.
She shrugged, smiling like she knew something he didn't, "Sure, you Winchester boys are famous. Not Lohan famous, but you know. We even know all about your little girlfriend. She's got quite the target on her back."
"You better leave her the hell alone." Dean growled.
"Don't worry about me; that one is a bit above my pay grade. So why don't me and you sit back and wait to see who gets here first." She laughed when Dean looked at her with a confused expression on his face. "What, you thought I was flying solo? You shouldn't underestimate, Dean, it might be the death of you. You can give me hard eyes all you want, but the fact remains, we just have to wait and see who shows up first." She paused, a satisfied smile on her lips, "The cavalry or the Indians."
~TFS~
Sam and Aubri were sitting at the bar, waiting on Dean when the same prostitute who had tried to pick Dean up earlier walked over to Sam. "You look kind of tense," she said softly, trailing her nails up and down his arm, "I know a surefire way to relax."
Aubri shot the prostitute a nasty glare as she tapped her fingers on the bar. She was starting to get a little anxious that Dean hadn't shown up yet. He was supposed to meet them 20 minutes ago. "Maybe later hon, but for now get lost. He's not interested."
"How about we let him decide that sugar." The prostitute responded, fixing Aubri with a nasty stare of her own, "He's a big boy, he can make his own decisions."
Sam, feeling decidedly uncomfortable at this point, spoke up, "Uh, maybe later." He said with little conviction before turning his attention to the bartender. "Excuse me. Hi."
"What can I get for you two?" The bartender asked.
"Um, you remember the guy we were with last night? We sat right here." Sam asked.
The bartender thought about it for a moment, "The big hero who jumped on Reggie?"
Sam nodded, "Yeah, yeah, the big… hero. Right, um, have you seen him around at all today?"
"Maybe, depends."
"D-depends on what?" Sam asked as Aubri sighed and reached into her pocket, catching onto what the bartender was after. After watching her slide a bill across the bar to the man, Sam sighed, "Seriously, does everyone here have their hand out?"
The bartender had a satisfied smile on his face, "He left with Casey about an hour ago."
Aubri felt her stomach drop slightly at that piece of information, but kept it together enough to ask, "Any idea where they went?"
"Her place… for Bible study."
"Asshole." Aubri muttered under her breath.
"You got an address?" Sam asked.
"What's wrong with you? You think I'm going to give you a co-worker's address, just so you can go over there and get your freaky peeping-tom rocks off?" After Aubri silently slid him more money he changed gears, "Corner of Piermont and Clinton. Have fun."
"I hate this place." Aubri said grumpily as she followed Sam out of the bar.
~TFS~
They found Casey's place easily enough and when Sam knocked on the door it swung open without a problem. "That's only a little ominous." Aubri muttered as she followed Sam inside.
"Dean?" Sam called out, stepping on a pair of slippers that let out a disturbing squeak that caused Aubri to jump.
"Geez Sam, trying to give me a heart attack?" She asked, her hand over her heart as she walked around, looking for any sign that Dean had been here, she was starting to get seriously worried about him. She saw a picture of Casey with some guy sitting on a table, a cross necklace hanging on top of it. Just before she turned to look somewhere else, a fine yellow powder caught her eye from behind the picture frame. Sticking her finger in it and brought it to her nose, taking a sniff and wrinkling up her nose at the smell of sulfur. Sulfur, her heart dropped at that realization. "Sam come look at this, now."
Hearing the urgency in her voice, Sam came over quickly and repeated the process that Aubri had gone through, "Sulfur." He said under his breath.
"That's not good is it?" Aubri asked, fear creeping into her voice.
"We'll find him Aubri. Let's head back to the bar and see if anybody else knows anything." Taking note of the fear in her eyes, he put a hand on her shoulder, "It'll be ok Aubs. Let's go."
Back at the bar, Sam had Aubri call Bobby while he talked to the bartender again. He didn't answer so she left him a message, doing her best to keep the panic she felt deep down from creeping into her voice. "Bobby, it's Aubri. We uh, we have a problem. We found some sulfur and we can't find Dean. Call me back as soon as you get this." When she saw Sam heading back her way, she felt a glimmer of hope, "Anything?"
He shook his head, "No, all he had for me was a shot." Over Aubri's head he noticed Father Gil sitting in a booth by himself. "Hold on, maybe he'll know something."
They both walked over to the booth and stopped next to Father Gil, "Father?" Aubri said quietly, wringing her hands in front of her, trying to contain her nerves.
"Yes?" He looked up at them, a glimmer of concern in his eyes when he noticed the state Aubri was in.
"Um, can we, can we talk to you for a sec?"
"Sure, have a seat. What can I help you with?"
"So, the bartender the other night, Casey, you know her pretty well?" Sam asked.
Father Gil nodded, "Since she was in pigtails."
"Well, um, she and my brother, they, uh, they… left tonight. Together." Sam said, wincing slightly.
"Ah. Well, not that I approve, but they are consenting adults." The father said with a nod.
"Right, it's just he was supposed to meet us here." Aubri said, "And I mean, he wouldn't have just bailed on us like that, not, not without at least giving us a heads up."
Father Gil nodded understandingly, seeming to understand why Aubri was so distressed, before his brow furrowed, "I, I'm sorry. You said brother." He said, turning his attention back to Sam. "I thought the two of you were insurance investigators?"
"Right, right. Well, well we are. Um, it's like, it's a family business, you know?" Sam covered quickly. "Anyways, we went to Casey's apartment, and they weren't there. I, I just have this feeling that they might be in trouble."
"What kind of trouble?" Father Gil was suddenly very serious.
"Just… trouble. Look, please, Father, we need your help. Is there anything you could tell us about Casey, anyplace she might go?" Sam asked.
"Yes, there is a place. Let me get my jacket."
"Father, you can just tell us," Aubri said, standing up. "We can take care of this."
"If Casey is really in trouble, then there is nothing to talk about." Father Gil said seriously before turning and putting on his jacket. "Shall we go?" He asked, turning back around to look at them expectantly.
In the car, Father Gil broke the silence, "So, insurance investigating. Do you enjoy the work?"
Aubri nodded silently while Sam spoke up, "Yeah, yeah. I like being able to help people."
"Ever think about doing anything else?"
"Like what?"
"Anything, you seem like a pretty smart kid. Somehow I see you out in front of the pack. You could do some great things." His eyes flicked to Aubri in the backseat, "And what is a young girl like you doing in insurance investigating."
Aubri shrugged, "I don't know, it was just something, something that I was thrown into. I didn't know how to feel about it at first, but like Sam said, I like helping people."
"Well, it's your life." He said with a shrug. "Does um, Dean?"
"Yeah, Dean." Aubri said softly, feeling the gnawing worry creep back up in the pit of her stomach.
"Does he find trouble often?"
Sam nodded, "Yeah, Dean finds his fair share."
Father Gil seemed to think on that for a moment, "Well, it's a good thing he has you, his brother's keeper."
~TFS~
When they got to the house, Aubri scrambled out of the car after Sam and Father Gil. "Dean?" She called out as Sam walked up to the front door and pounded on it.
"Dean!?" Sam called as he hit his fist against the door again. When there was no response he turned to Father Gil and Aubri, "Go check that way, Aubs come with me."
"Sam?" Aubri heard Dean's voice call out and she took off running in the direction of it. "Aubs?"
"Dean?!" She saw light coming from a grate and leaned down over it to see Dean's face looking up at her. "Sam, I found him!" She called over her shoulder as Sam hurried over. "Are you ok?" She asked gripping the bars of the grate tightly.
"The basement caved in." Dean explained, "God it's good to see your face Blondie." He said, a grin breaking out across his face.
Aubri laughed, holding back the tears of relief that she could feel flooding her eyes, "Wish I could say the same Winchester." She teased as Sam came up behind her.
"Dean hold on okay? We're coming to get you." He turned to shout over his shoulder, "Father we found them!"
"The preacher man is here?" Dean asked, looking over his shoulder at Casey who had an unreadable expression on her face. Turning back to look at Aubri and Sam he reached up to touch Aubri's fingers that were still clenching the bars of the grate. "Be careful you guys."
Sam looked over his shoulder to see Father Gil come up behind them, his eyes black. Before he could react, a shot was fired, blasting though a small statue just behind him. While Father Gil was distracted, Sam started to run towards him, seeing him fling Bobby to the side just before he was flung like a ragdoll across the driveway and into the windshield of the Impala.
Aubri started to run towards Sam and Bobby when she noticed Father Gil head into the house. With a glance over her shoulder to make sure the other two were ok, she quietly followed Father Gil into the house. She could hear the blast as Father Gil smashed through the cave-in and quickly crept down the stairs just in time to see Father Gil throw Dean to the side with just a point of his finger. "Are you ok?" She asked quietly as she rushed to his side, not sparing a glance for Father Gil or Casey.
Dean started to answer, but was distracted and disgusted when he saw Father Gil and Casey in a passionate embrace, "You two?" He asked in disgust as Aubri helped him to his feet.
"For centuries." Father Gil answered, crossing over to Dean, who had his arm wrapped protectively around Aubri. "We've been to hell and back, literally."
"Leave them be." Casey called out as Father Gil got closer to Dean and Aubri.
Father Gil ignored her request and grabbed Dean by the throat, lifting him up into the air. "Let him go!" Aubri shouted, moving to grab Father Gil. She was thrown back before she even touched him, hitting the wall with a groan. She glared at Casey as she struggled to get up. "Bitch." She said under her breath.
"Stay down, for your own good." Casey said before turning her attention to Father Gil. "Don't kill him. Let's just go." She pleaded. "Please."
Before he had a chance to respond to Casey's request, a shot rang out and Father Gil twitched as a shock of light ran through him and he dropped to the ground, dead. Sam turned the gun to Casey and Dean called out, "Sam, wait!" Ignoring Dean's shout, Sam pulled the trigger, killing Casey as well.
All Dean could do was stare at his brother as Aubri limped over to him, looking up at his blank face worriedly. "Dean?" She said softly, "Dean, let's go." She kept her eyes trained on his face, not wanting to look at the bodies on the floor.
He nodded numbly as he tore his eyes from his brother to look down at her, "Lead the way Blondie." He said, carefully putting his arm around her shoulder as he tried to process his conflicting emotions.
~TFS~
Aubri sat on the hood of the Impala as she watched Dean and Bobby walk towards her, talking about something that seemed important. When they got close enough, she slid off the hood and walked the rest of the way towards them. "Leave my dog with the neighbors again Bobby?" She asked teasingly.
He shrugged and smiled down at her, "You know he loves chasing those kids around." He pulled her in for a quick hug, "Keep an eye on this knucklehead, alright sweetheart?"
"I do my best Bobby." She said with a smile, squeezing him tightly before letting him go." Drive safe ok?"
"Will do." He started to walk to his car. "Dean." He said nodding goodbye.
"See ya Bobby." Dean said, moving to stand next to Aubri as Bobby climbed into his car.
They watched as Bobby drove away and once he was out of sight, Aubri turned her attention to Dean. Grabbing the front of his jacket, she pulled him close to her. "Don't you ever disappear like that on me again Winchester. You hear me?"
A smile crept across his face, not quite taking her seriously, but thinking this side of her was kind of cute, "Sure thing Blondie." He said, leaning forward to place a kiss on her lips.
She shook her head slightly, pushing him away before his lips met hers. "I'm serious Dean, when we couldn't find you and we found that sulfur in Casey's apartment," she let out a long breath, "I've… I've never been so scared in my life. Don't do that to me again Dean."
The smile left Dean's face as he looked down at her, seeing the sincerity in her eyes. His fingers slid through her hair so he could cup the back of her head, sadness creeping in slowly at the thought that in less than a year he would disappear on her for good, "Aubs…" he started.
"I know Dean," she said sadly, shaking her head, "I know that your deal is up in a year and I know you will be gone after that and I am so mad at you for that." He opened his mouth to defend himself, "But, I get why you made the deal ok, and I'm not gonna waste time being mad at you. I like you Dean, despite the fact that you are a stubborn ass half the time, I really like you." At the goofy grin that spread across his face, she couldn't help but smile back at him. Placing a hand on his chest, she continued, "Anyways, when we realized you were missing and I didn't know if we would find you, I decided that if we did find you, I wasn't gonna waste any time being mad at you. If I did I would only kick myself later for wasting time I could be with you by being mad at you. Even if it's only for a convenient booty call every now and then." She added a little sadly.
Dean's brow furrowed at this and looking in her eyes he could see she believed that's all she was to him. He kicked himself for making her think that as he cupped her cheek in his hand, rubbing his thumb back and forth across her cheekbone. "Aubs, you're more than that." A faint smile touched her lips and she looked as if she didn't quite believe him. "You gotta believe me Aubri, you are more than that." He leaned down slightly, placing his lips against hers firmly, trying to drive home the message.
When he pulled away, she was looking up at him with a genuine smile on her face. He noticed a mischievous glint in her eyes just before she pulled something out of her pocket, "Anyways, now that we got past this, what I'm sure you will call a chick flick moment, I have a surprise." She dangled a key to a room in the hotel in front of his face.
He took the key from her and looked down at it, "You got me a key to the hotel room? Thanks sweetheart, but you know I have one of these already."
She laughed quietly, smile growing wider, "No dumbass. I used some of the money from the scratch off I saved from that Bella chick and I got us a room, our own room, a room without your brother."
Dean's eyebrows rose, but he recovered quickly pulling her tightly against him, "I like the way you think Blondie."
And that's a wrap for Sin City! I hope you guys like this chapter, the next one is most likely going to be a bit of Aubri/Dean fluff because, honestly, who doesn't love a little fluff? Then I am skipping over to Red Sky at Morning because I have a little more I can do with that episode than I can do with Bedtime Stories. Until next time, thank you and as always review at will (maybe you'll get a shout out when I post the next chapter)!
