Vrskaandrea: I really enjoyed writing the girls in for the Winchester siblings. They hover around in the back ground and are mentioned but not seen again. I am thinking of writing a follow up where they stumble onto each other again bit well see if it happens.

CHAPTER 42

The hunters had promised Bobby they wouldn't stay away too long so they made their way back up the country cleaning up six more monsters on their way back to the salvage yard.

Dean was in the kitchen making breakfast when Bobby walked in.

"Whatcha doin' boy?" He asked.

"That's still weird, you calling me 'boy' when I have these amazing boobs!" Dean laughed. "Any way, I'm making us breakfast. We come here all the time and you always take care of us. I just feel like we're taking advantage of you, so I made scrambled eggs, bacon and grilled tomatoes."

"Grilled tomatoes huh?" Bobby asked as he looked at the plate Dean set before him. "Didn't even know I had tomatoes."

"Yep, good for the prostate old man and FYI, they were about to walk out the door on their own."

Sam joined them soon after and they sat down to eat together.

"Look Dean, I'm sorry I haven't made any progress on the brand." Bobby began.

"Bobby don't worry about it." Dean said. "We know you have a life outside us. You gotta run this place and help the other hunters."

"Besides, you've figured it out mostly on your own this far. Its not like we've been around to help a whole lot." Sam said shoving a forkful of eggs in his mouth. "So how did the big hunt go? Is Rufus still as cantankerous as always?"

"That man is a royal pain in my arse!" Bobby told them all about the hunt Rufus had conned him into helping with the week before. As usual he had pulled the 'no work on the Sabbath' routine and Bobby had had to do all the digging himself. Sam and Dean just shook their heads and laughed along with Bobby.

"Rufus is a dick but there is no one else I rather watch my back aside from you two or Caleb." Bobby said.

"Did someone just say my name?" Caleb said, limping into the kitchen.

"What the hell happened to you?" Bobby asked as he rose from his seat to give Caleb a once over.

"I'm fine old man!" Caleb said, batting Bobby's hands away. "Just had a run in with a demon is all. Tweaked my knee a bit. I'll be fine in a day or two."

He limped to the vacated seat and dropped down, dragging the uneaten remains of Bobby's breakfast to him.

"That's mine you little twerp!" Bobby said yanking the fork from his hand. "If you want some, there's left overs on the stove."

"What? A minute ago you were practically feeling me up in concern and now I have to fend for myself?" Caleb asked insulted.

"You said you were fine so, help yourself!" Bobby picked up his plate and sat beside Sam.

"Hey Dean?"

Dean looked up and Caleb gave her his best smile.

"Get your own." Dean said around a mouthful of bacon and tomato.

"Fine!" Caleb muttered about uncaring people all the way to the stove and back before sitting down and digging in.

"This is good Bobby." He said.

"Didn't do it, it was Dean."

Caleb opened his mouth and let the food he'd just shovelled in there drop back on the plate.

"Dean cooked?"

Dean shot him a bitch face.

"I'm kidding! It's great!" He began eating again as Dean flipped him the bird and took her plate to the counter.

"Just for that, you can do the dishes." She patted him on the shoulder as she walked past and out of the kitchen.

•

Dean shoved the book away in frustration.

"Damn it! Another dead end!"

She spread her arms wide on the table and began to lightly bang her on the timber.

"Why (bang) can't (bang) we (bang) figure (bang) this (bang) out?" She smacked her head down one last time and left it resting on the table top.

"Dean, it's gonna be okay. We'll find it." Sam said.

Dean flew up from her chair and began pacing the room.

"Is it Sammy? Will we? Because we've been through every book in this room three times and nothing!" She fumed.

"We're trying our best here." Sam answered defensively.

"Don't you think I know that?" Dean said. "You and Bobby have worked yourselves almost to the brink of exhaustion, and for what? We even have the symbol Missouri saw and still nothing!"

Dean leaned against a wall and slid down to the floor. She drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. Sam left his seat at the table and joined his brother on the floor. Bobby and Caleb had seen enough of these breakdowns to keep quiet and let Sam handle it.

"I don't know what to tell you Dean, but we've gotta keep our faith that we can fix this."

"What if we can't?" Dean whispered, turning her head and laying one cheek on her knees so she could see Sammy.

"We will. I promise you." He gave his brother a small encouraging smile.

Dean sat for a moment, slightly leaning against her brother.

"Do you think maybe Missouri got the symbol wrong? Or maybe it was just incomplete?"

"Don't know. It's possible."

"Maybe I should go see her again. Do you think she could read me over the phone? She's pretty strong." Dean suggested.

"Dunno Dean. Let's just keep working with what we have before we go driving across the country again."

"Okay." Dean nodded then tipped her head back against the wall. "God! This is so frustrating!"

Sam looked at Caleb, this was his cue to step in. He stood from his seat and walked over to stand in front of Dean.

"Hey."

Dean looked up.

"How about we go outside and spar a bit?" He held out his hand but Dean just stared at it. "Come on, let's go burn off some steam."

Sam shoulder bumped his brother.

"Go on, it'll do you some good. Work off your frustration a bit."

"Yeah, Okay." Dean out his hand in Caleb's and let him help her stand, then she held out her hand and helped Sam to his feet. "Come on then."

She left the room with Caleb following.

"He doesn't sound too enthusiastic about it." Bobby said.

"Don't worry, Caleb will say something stupid and then it will be on for young and old." Sam said sitting back down and finding his place in the book in front of him.

"Don't you mean dumb and dumber?"

•

"So what's got your panties in a bunch?" Caleb asked throwing a half arsed left jab at Dean.

"This whole fucking situation! I'm just so frustrated." Dean said, easily blocking her friends attack.

"Sexually?" Caleb said teasing Dean. Didn't matter the gender, Dean was always horny. Caleb smirked when he saw a small tell tale flicker in his friends eyes.

"Shut up arse!" Dean said, sweeping at Caleb's legs.

"Oh, playing dirty now, are we?" Caleb asked.

"You started it with your nasty sex talk."

Dean was holding back, Caleb knew his friend too well and this was not what Dean needed. They were throwing lazy punches and jabs. Caleb decided to step things up a notch. He launched into a flurry of punches and kicks before throwing Dean to the ground.

"You're not trying." He said, leaning over her as she lay in the dust.

"Fuck you!" She said as she climbed to her feet.

'Angry but not angry enough.' Caleb thought to himself. Time to increase the pressure.

Dean began fighting back but again not with the fury she was known for. Caleb tried to think of a way to make her snap as they slowly worked their way deeper into the stacks of forgotten vehicles.

"Bobby and Sam are doing their best you know." Caleb said ducking a sloppy right from Dean.

"I know." Dean replied copping a glancing blow to her shoulder.

"Really? Because it didn't sound like it to me." Caleb could see he was getting the reaction he was looking for.

"Seriously? Didn't you hear me! I said exactly those word!"

"Nope, not how it sounded to us." Caleb back peddled as Dean started to advance.

"Sammy knows what I said and how I meant it and that's all that matters." Dean said unleashing a vicious left/right combination that only just missed its mark.

"Yeah you said they were working themselves to exhaustion 'for what'? For what Dean. You think they're wasting their time?" Caleb's voice has begun to rise. "You think they can't fix you?"

"No!"

"No what Dean? No, they aren't wasting their time or no, they can't fix you?"

"Maybe I can't be fixed! Maybe I don't deserve to be saved!" Dean screamed, finally landing a fierce right hook to Caleb's jaw.

"I never said 'saved'." Caleb said almost calmly.

"Shut the fuck up!" Dean launched herself at Caleb in a full body attack.

'There you are.' Caleb thought a nanosecond before Dean collided with him sending them both tumbling to the ground. They scrambled around before gaining their feet and were lost in a blur of fists and feet and cursing until Caleb pinned Dean against the hood of an old car. He pressed against her and smiled as her eyes rolled back and she moaned.

"You little slut." He said pressed against her harder.

"Never said I wasn't." Dana purred back.

•

"Huh."

"What?" Sam asked looking at the older hunter. "You find something?"

"Yeah, just not what we are looking for." Bobby replied, turning his laptop so Sam could read the article he had on the screen.

Sam quickly scanned the page.

"Demons?" Sam asked.

"Looks like it." Bobby said. "Probably should send someone to look into it."

"Me and Dean'll go." Sam offered. "It's not that far away, we can be back in about four days, week at the latest. I think it will do Dean good."

"That'll work, I guess. I want to go pay someone a visit anyway."

"Okay, I'll go get Dean. If we head off this afternoon we should be able to get started on the hunt tomorrow."

Sam pushed up from his chair and walked outside looking for his brother.