December 1st 2008, Middle of Nowhere, Random State

Middle of the night…

It'd been a couple weeks since Anna got her grace back and flown the coop. As well as a couple weeks of what seemed like non-stop cases. They'd finish one then Dean would have them hauling ass off to another one right after.

It was late in the middle of forest country where the impala sat at the end of a gated off road, surrounded by trees and nothing but the sounds of the local nightlife to chase away the silence. The only sources of light being the stars that peaked through the remaining leaves on the trees and Dean's flashlight as he perused some police reports he printed off before they made tracks out of the last town they were in.

They didn't want law enforcement to come sniffing around and finding that burned body.

Sam was sleeping lightly in the back to better stretch out his long body, but it was still a tight fit. Maya was out for the count in the front from her own exhaustion, her head pillowed at a less than ideal angle on Dean's thigh.

And Dean was basically using her face as a place to set his reports while he flipped through them; even if he told himself he did it so the light wouldn't wake up the sleeping girl. But his lips would quirk in a smirk every time she shifted or scrunched her nose from the tickling sensation of shifting papers on her face.

Puck gave a snort in his sleep, earning Dean's brief attention as the little dog twitched a leg before going still again. Lost in his own land of dreams as he slept on Maya's chest under the hand that had petted him until she couldn't.

Dean looked back at the police reports intently, his gaze never wavering, even when he heard the distinct groan of disapproval from a waking moose in the back seat.

"What are you doing?" Sam groaned softly after seeing his brother still awake with a flashlight in hand.

"What's it look—" Dean stopped himself and readjusted his volume of voice so he didn't wake Maya. "What's it look like I'm doing?"

"Like you're looking for a job," Sam's voice droned in a whisper, unimpressed.

"Yahtzee."

With a tired sigh Sam sat up and looked over Dean's shoulder, seeing the printed reports. He scoffed quietly, "We just finished a job like two hours ago. And are you using Maya's face as a desk?"

Dean gave a quiet chuckled, "Heh, yeah. Pretty much. Kid's completely out of it."

"Probably from running away from that werewolf before Puck got to it," Sam rubbed his face tiredly.

"Yeah," Dean turned to look at Sam. "It was really weird how focused it was on her, right?"

"Extremely. It had me pinned and then it just let me go to go chase after her instead," Sam shook his head then sent tired narrowed eyes at Dean. "So, why are you looking for another job?"

Dean shrugged at him; not realizing Maya's breathing had changed. "Guess the adrenaline's still pumping," Dean turned back to the papers on Maya's face and held them up to Sam. "So what do you think…Cedar Rapids, Tulsa, or Chi-to-" Dean didn't finish as a hand shot up and grabbed the papers, and swiftly ripped them out of his hand.

Dean looked down to find Maya glaring tired gold eyes up at him, "Go. The fuck. To sleep!"

"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you Goldy," Dean put on a charming smile to get out of whatever retribution was running through the mini-Trickster's little head.

"Job, tomorrow. Sleep, now," she growled, her grip tightening on the papers.

"I'm with Maya," Sam nodded in their direction. "I'm all for working. I really am, but you've got us chasing cases nonstop for like a month now," Sam exaggerated a little. "We need sleep."

"Yeeeeeeessssss. Sleep goooooooood," Maya groaned, her tired eyes starting to droop. She growled when she felt Dean try and tug the papers from her closed fists.

"C'mon, Golum. We can sleep when we're dead," Dean gave up his tug-o-war on the papers from the small ripping sound he heard come from them. Maya's breath began slowing and evening out again.

"You're exhausted, Dean," Sam pointed out.

"I'm good," Dean argued, annoyed as he half-heartedly glared at the once again zonked out Trickster in his lap.

"No, you're not," Sam argued back. "You're running on fumes, and you can't run forever."

"And what am I running from again?" Dean demanded, carefully turning his upper body to look behind him at Sam so as not to jostle Maya.

"From what you told us," Sam paused, and not for the effect. "Or are we pretending that never happened?"

Dean didn't answer. Instead he turned to the papers Maya didn't grab, the ones he hadn't put on her face, "Straton, Nebraska. A man gets hacked to death in a locked room inside a locked house. No signs of forced entry."

"Sounds like a ghost," Sam said after a fed up sigh and glare at his brother.

"Yes, it does," Dean looked at the report grimly.

Sam gave a groan as he flopped back down, shaking the car a little bit and jolting Puck away.

Puck looked around confused, his little eyes focused on Dean for answers.

Dean shrugged at the dog, "Got another case."

Puck did a groan and flopped back down on Maya who let out her own grunt in protest of the rough treatment.

Dean didn't hold back the snort that escaped him.

He was surrounded by whiny bitches.

.

December 2nd 2008, Stratton, Nebraska, United States

Next Day…because Dean was an asshole…

Night…

Still wired on adrenaline, Dean decided to start driving to Nebraska that night. Much to the dismay of the other occupants of the car. Dean wanted to check out the house ASAP, but Maya and Sam were firm. Motel first, research, then house.

Well, after a less than stellar sleep the previous night the minute Maya flopped on one of the beds she was a goner. The brothers chuckled at her and decided to let her get some more rest. Both clearly remembering those tiring teenage years and what a shitty sleep did to you, especially if you weren't used to it and went on back-to-back jobs (pointed glare at Dean). They left a note and some money for food when she woke up, and then went to go check out the house.

Things got complicated when the house was no longer for sale and a family was ready to move in. Sam and Dean bought some time declaring asbestos and a gas leak, hopefully another day or two.

They got to the motel, changed into their civil servant uniforms and questioned the housekeeper that found the dismembered body of Mr. Gibson. Maya had still been sleeping, but with the dog getting antsy most likely not for long.

Unfortunately the most likely suspects, the dead wife and daughter, were cremated. So highly unlikely it was them.

They went by the motel to grab a now awake Maya. They waited until nightfall before going back to the farmhouse…only to find the lights on. Evidence that the family had returned and had moved in.

"Crap," Dean cursed as he brought the impala to a stop near the end of the driveway. "So, what now?" he was open to suggestions.

"We could tell them the truth," Sam shrugged unhelpfully.

Dean and Maya turned to look at him funny.

"Really?" Dean asked, wondering if his brother was serious.

"No, not really," Sam shook his head slightly.

Maya rolled her eyes, "So, we just wait here till we hear screaming?"

Both brothers shrugged as they kept their eyes glued to the house.

They didn't have to wait long before a shrill scream echoed in the night, coming from the house.

"That's our cue!" Dean grunted as he put Baby in drive and sped up the driveway.

They quickly jumped out of the impala and ran up the front porch steps and pounded on the door. Once it was opened they immediately rushed in.

"We heard screams. What's going on?" Dean demanded as he rushed by the matriarch of the family.

As they walked towards the other family members an angry father confronted Sam and Dean, "You two? Did you touch my daughter?!"

Dean looked at him surprised and disgusted, "What? No." The frightened girl was clearly underage and that was a big no-go.

"Who are you guys?" the father demanded.

The black and white shaggy dog approached Puck curiously. Puck was tense and on guard, keeping his senses open for the specter lurking in the house but…he got nothing. Puck saw the other dog approach, unaggressive, and took a quick minute to sniff each other in greeting.

The shaggy dog was satisfied that the other smaller not-quite-dog dog was friendly, and looked out at the now open front door.

Puck watched the other dog wander off outside. He mentally shrugged and lifted his nose, scenting the air and finding eight fresh and distinct scents, seven humans and one dog. There was also a ninth one but it was faded-old and hinted of blood, most likely the recently deceased.

Puck looked around the room and noticed only five humans, all with underlying scents of blood relations. The other two he picked up held no such relation to the family in front of him. He shifted uneasily as the two odd scents screamed of refuse-anger-dirt-sibling/aunt/uncle-sick-danger-DANGER.

"Relax," Sam told the protective father sternly. "You have a ghost."

The father rolled his eyes and scoffed, "A ghost."

Puck pawed at Maya's feet with a whine. Maya looked down with furrowed eyebrows. Puck discretely shook his head with another small whine.

Maya glanced at the others then murmured quietly to Puck, "No ghost?" She got a huffed nod in response.

The daughter escaped her mother's arms and ran up to her Dad, "I told you!"

The young boy exclaimed as he rushed up to his Dad too, "It's the girl!"

The Dad turned around, "Both of you, relax." He turned back to Sam, Dean, and Maya, "What are you guys playing?"

"Your family's in danger. You need to get out of the house, now," Dean ordered in his most authoritative voice. Sadly with no one else but the kids having seen anything the other adults weren't convinced.

"Dean—" Maya started to warn him about what Puck picked up when the lights went out, plunging them into darkness.

"What the hell?" the other adult male of the family questioned as he looked around.

"No body move!" Dean shouted.

"Dean—" Maya tried again, but stopped as loud pained whining came from outside.

"Buster!" the young boy yelled in fear, sending his Dad and—Maya guessed—his Uncle racing outside.

Dean sent them an annoyed glare at having his order ignored.

They all followed and Puck shot past all of them and around the house towards the moving van with a snarl.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" came the raspy and very human cry of pain, along with some ferocious snarling.

Buster came limping quickly around the corner, bleeding heavily towards his human family, whimpering in pain.

"Buster!" the Dad shouted as he ran down the porch to his injured dog. The Uncle kept going to look at what might have attacked the friendly dog, only to find a partially spelled message on the van…in blood.

"Brian! You might want to come looked at this!" the Uncle called back.

Brian had—with the help of Maya's thoughtfully lent silver knife—removed his shirt and cut bandages for their wounded dog when his brother-in-law yelled back to them. After tying off the last quick makeshift bandage, Brian rounded the house with Sam and Dean while Maya tried to keep the others from seeing whatever it was.

The porch sadly was a wrap around, so they all saw the partially spelled out bloody message:

Too la—

"Go back inside!" Brian shouted up back at his family. The mother ushered the children away, Maya—having picked up an injured Buster—followed behind them.

Sam and Dean had tried to follow Puck's barking and snarling to whatever the small dog was chasing, but stopped when he came racing back. His mouth and claws soaked in blood.

Dean looked at the still small dog, "Is it dead?"

Puck grumbled and shook his head, a clear sign that it got away.

"So, it's not a ghost?" Sam asked taking note of the blood covering Puck's muzzle. Puck sent the dog equivalent of a deadpanned stare. Sam looked a little sheepish at the reproachful look from the small dog, "Right. Sorry."

Sam and Dean turned back to Brian and the other man.

"We're not the bad guys, but you are in danger," Dean told them bluntly.

"First things first. You got to get your family out of here," Sam told them firmly.

The two men shared a look then looked back the bloody incomplete message.

"Okay," Brian agreed as he started heading back to the house with his brother-in-law.

"Great," Dean nodded then turned back to Puck. "Stay out here. We got Maya. If that thing comes back…you know what to do."

Puck huffed and ran off towards the vehicles to better hide and ambush the human that attacked the other dog.

"Did you just talk to a dog like it understood you?" the Uncle asked with a scoff as they jogged back into the house.

"You've got no idea what that rat can do," Dean gave the man a knowing look that had him sending a curious glance behind them where Puck ran off to.

"It's a dog. Sure Jack Russell's are smart but they aren't that smart," the Uncle scoffed as they entered the house.

Sam, Dean, and Maya stood on alert as the family quickly agreed to follow Sam and Dean's advice. As they hurried to get shoes and coats on, high pitched growling and snarling came from outside that quickly morphed into something deeper. Followed by two different voices screaming.

Sam, Dean, and Maya quickly rushed outside to find Puck biting down and tearing into the shoulder of a screaming dirty and scraggly longhaired young man in a loose and filthy long sleeved white shirt and brown trousers. On an enlarged Puck's back was an equally dirty and scraggly wild-haired young woman in a dirty grey nightgown screaming her head off as she stabbed at the dog with a knife.

"Puck!" Maya shouted in concern, even if she knew the knife wouldn't kill her dog. Didn't mean she liked seeing him get hurt. That was her dog and best friend, damn it!

"Wait! Maya—no!" Dean tried to grab her but she slipped through his fingers. Sam and Dean quickly followed right behind her.

Puck let go of the boy's shoulder then readjusted his target, grabbing the neck and quickly snapping it. Silencing his screams.

The girl screamed in heartbreak and fury as she jumped off the dog and darted away as Puck went to finally try and snap at her. Puck went to chase her but she weaved more easily between the vehicles than Puck's larger form.

Puck may or may not have dented the moving van.

Unfortunately that meant she had gotten away…again.

With narrowed eyes at the direction the girl disappeared to and a frustrated grumble, Puck returned to Maya's side to ease her worries over him. The wounds inflicted had already started healing and sealing closed.

"Couldn't get the second one rat?" Dean teased with a smirk, earning a grumbled growl from the large dog that stood still as Maya checked him over.

Maya breathed a sigh of relief as the last wound sealed shut and gave the giant dog an affectionate scratch behind the ear.

Puck gave Dean a warning growl when he cuffed Maya upside the head, "You know better than to run off like that!"

Maya rolled her eyes, rubbing her head, and pointed out, "Puck was right there and you two were right behind me."

Dean sent her a reproving glare and opened his mouth to say something when Sam called them over, "Hey guys!"

Maya and Dean looked over to see Sam had made his way over to the dead boy on the ground.

Sam looked up from his crouched position as they walked over, "Human, guys."

Maya felt dread pool in her stomach.

"Human?" Dean looked at Sam in disbelief.

Sam pointed at the boy's face and his open and unseeing overly dilated eyes, "Yeah. But look at the eyes and the skin. It's like he's never seen daylight before."

"So, it was these guys who killed the old man?" Maya questioned as she scrutinized the body. "Looks like neither of them had a decent meal their whole lives either."

"Dude was old and which ever one killed him had a knife," Dean shrugged and he scrubbed a hand wearily down his face. "Don't need to be strong if ya got a weapon and a captive audience."

"Hey, guys! What's going on—" Brian called out to them as he jogged up to them but stopped at the sight of the huge dog. "What the Hell?! Where'd that come from?" he staggered back as Puck pinned curious eyes on the man.

Before Sam, Dean, or Maya could say anything Puck, being a mischievous little shit shrunk back down to his fun travel size.

Brian stared at the small bloody dog with his mouth agape.

"Yeah, super smart and size-shifting dogs are a thing too," Dean scoffed. "Your ghost problem? Not so much," he gestured to the dead body.

Brian blinked in confusion, "W-What?"

Sam straightened up, "We were wrong about the ghost."

"You have a couple of feral humans running around," Maya explained with a sympathetic smile. "Not sure where they came from but they're out for blood. You guys need to—"

A terrified scream came from the house as the mother and kids ran out.

"The girl! She came out of the closet!" the boy babbled as he ran up to Brian.

"Ted's still in there!" the mother cried frantically.

"Get in the car and drive to that motel I told you about!" Dean barked as him, Sam, Maya, and Puck started sprinting back to the house. "We'll get him!"

The sound of lots of commotion coming from inside was a good sign. Ted was putting up a hell of a fight and was still kicking. Feet stomped up the porch steps and nails clicked and scratched at the wood.

Ted's pained yell echoed out into the house as they entered and the scuffle stopped. Dean went into the living room first to find Ted alive and leaning heavily against the fireplace holding his bleeding side.

Dean scanned the room and heard noise come from the coat closet on the other side of the room.

"Some ghost," Ted said with a pained scoff. "Just some backwards hillbilly bitch."

"Yeah, well, we can't be right all the time," Dean sassed, never taking his eyes off the closet. Dean connected eyes with Sam and motioned to the closed closet, Sam nodded his understanding. Dean looked at Maya and she sighed heavily but nodded as well making her way over to Ted.

"Let's get you out of here," Maya grabbed his arm on his uninjured side and slung it over her shoulder. "Can you keep pressure with your other hand?"

"Yeah, yeah," Ted grunted then chuckled. "Sorry if I'm a bit too heavy. Been meaning to go on that diet."

Maya huffed a small chuckle as she led him outside, Puck following beside them.

Once they got down the porch steps Maya looked down at her dog, "Go help them. You can sniff her out before those two can track her down."

She felt Ted scoff at her as they made their way further from the house.

Puck whined, weighing his options.

With a decision made Puck ran off, but around the house following the fresh scent of the injured-sick-angry-female that he had chased before, but lost twice.

But not this time.

The trail led to a break in the trellis that bordered the bottom of the house, carefully hidden by farm barrels and tall grass under a storm drain. Puck's sensitive ears picked up Dean and Sam shouting, as well as the animalistic screaming of the girl.

Puck darted into the crawl space to find Dean struggling to keep from getting knifed by the girl in pitch darkness, his flashlight looking to have been smashed against the cement foundation.

The way the girl attacked Dean seemed to suggest that she had lived her whole life in darkness and had the upper hand, while Dean was floundering, unable to see his assailant.

Sam was shouting from somewhere, telling Dean to hold on while he made some hole bigger.

Puck had no such problem.

With a snarl he launched at the girl and darted away when she tried to slash him. They circled and danced, looking for openings. An overarching swing of her knife exposed her throat and Puck lunged.

The moment before he sunk small teeth into tender flesh he finally enlarged his shape. Teeth included.

A quick jerk of the head and it was all over in an instant.

Puck let his teeth, claws and eyes glow for Dean to better see what happened.

Dean let out a sigh of relief, "Never thought I'd be glad to hear a snarling dog before."

"Dean!" Sam's worried voice reverberated off the crawlspace walls.

"Fine, Sammy! The rat got the bitch!" Dean yelled back as he got to his feet, his body still hunched over from the low ceiling. Puck was much the same in that regard, his back just brushing the overhead support beams in his larger form. "So Rudolph, wanna lead me out of here?" Puck's answer was to cease glowing, shrink down, and trot away. "Rat!" Dean insulted as he was plunged back into darkness. "Sam, shine your light! The bitch broke mine!"

.

Sam, Dean, and Maya

The Carter family hadn't left right away, so they were there to quickly take Ted to the hospital for his sliced side. The Winchesters and Maya would spend the next couple hours dragging bodies out and putting them in the shed for the police to deal with and poking around the house.

They found the old man's dead daughter's diary.

The feral twins were the forced love children of the father and daughter. There was much disgust to be had.

"Wow. Talk about a story ripped from Austrian headlines," Dean shook his head. "Humans, man. So they've been locked up in this house their whole lives?"

"We saw their eyes, Dean. Doubt they've ever seen the light of day," Maya pointed out with a tired grimace.

"They were barely human," Sam added, remembering the feral screaming.

"So they've been caged up like an animal then one day one of them, or both, break free and ganks dear old dad-slash-granddad?" Dean extrapolated, his face twisting in disgust at the incest.

"I guess," Sam shrugged.

"Well, can't say I blame them," Dean could all too easily imagine the hell they went through their entire lives at the hand of the old bastard.

"I'm sure their lives were hell Dean, but that doesn't mean they get a free pass for a murder spree," Sam disagreed, not realizing the effect it would have on Dean.

Maya grimaced at Sam's choice of words, but kept quiet. She was kind of in the middle with this moral debate. On the one hand they deserved the justice they received taking out the old man, on the other…probably could have done something different instead of killing the guy. Although, to be fair, they weren't exactly raised to think of escaping and maybe getting the police involved. Hell they probably didn't even know those kind of people existed.

Dean gave Sam a deadpanned look, "Like you know what Hell's like."

"I didn't…" Sam sent Dean a sympathetic look, but he just shrugged it off.

"Forget it," Dean didn't let Sam continue and stalked his way out of the house feeling Maya and Sam's worried eyes on his back.

.

December 3rd 2008

Under a Random Deserted Overpass

Late the next morning…

They had found the Carter family and told them everything was taken care of and they could go back. They impressed upon them that it would be greatly appreciated if they were given a head start before calling the police. Brian had eyed Puck a bit warily, even if the little dog was now all cleaned of blood and no more wounds. But none could resist his plucky charm and soon won the man over.

They were thanked and quickly made tracks.

Under the overpass Sam and Dean leaned against the impala, Sam handing Dean a checkered paper wrapped burger. Sam pushed away from the car and opened the door to the back seat and shook a sleepy Maya awake.

"C'mon Maya. Breakfast," Sam smiled as she grumpily sat up and snatched the take-out bag from his hand. Sam rolled his eyes at the grumbled insult she sent his way and tucked into whatever he got her.

With his own food in hand, Sam returned to his spot beside Dean against the impala and noticed his brother not tearing into his burger like normal. Instead it lay on the roof beside him untouched.

"You okay?" Sam asked, his brow furrowed in worry. It seemed to do that a lot recently.

"You know I felt for those sons of bitches back there," Dean admitted. "Life long torture turns you into something like that."

After two weeks it seemed like Dean was ready to open up, at least a little bit.

"You were in Hell, Dean," Dean looked away from Sam to hide his shame, not meeting Sam's eyes. "Look, maybe you did what you did there…but you're not them. They were barely human," Sam tried to point out in an effort of comfort.

Their eyes briefly flickered over to Maya when she stepped out of the impala, looking at Dean in concern.

"Well, you're right. I wasn't like them. I was worse," self-hate and guilt flowed off Dean like a noxious miasma. "They were animals, guys. Defending territory. Me? I did it for the sheer pleasure."

Sam looked at him surprised, "What?" Maya's face looked like her heart was breaking for him as she approached him and put a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"I enjoyed it, Sam," Dean admitted as he roughly shrugged Maya's hand off him. He didn't deserve her comfort and kindness. "They took me off the rack and I tortured souls, and I liked it. All those years…all that pain…finally getting to deal some out yourself. I didn't care who they put in front of me," Dean's voice began to get thick with emotion. "Because that—that pain I felt…it just slipped away. No matter how many people I save I can't change that. I can't fill this hole. Not ever."

"Dean…" Maya tried softly, ready to try and ease his pain, his guilt. The part of her she and Dean didn't know about, that would reach out to those around her brushed lightly against Dean's tattered mind and soul. An opportunity to—even for just a moment—let go of the pain that oozed out of him.

But this wasn't a nightmare he needed respite from. This wasn't asking the subconscious to ease up. He was awake and filled with so much guilt and anguish…

"It was Hell that made you like torturing souls. That's how it burns you away," Maya said calmly, trying again to place a hand on his shoulder. "You didn't really want to—"

Dean abruptly pushed himself away angrily from the car and fully faced her, "But I did! That's what I just said!" He brushed away the light feeling that asked him to listen to Maya's words, what she had to say. Then decide.

Sam was looking at Dean sadly, "Dean—"

Maya calmly met Dean's angry and frantic eyes that shone with the intensity of his guilt, interrupting Sam, "If you did, why do you feel guilty? Why are you beating yourself up over it then?"

That stopped Dean short as he stared into gold eyes that looked at him without an ounce of fear. Fear that should be there given what he revealed. His negative thoughts halted and receded, just barely enough to think past them.

"She's right, Dean," Sam added, seeing the opportunity to try and help his brother. He also suspected it had something to do with Maya, that energy she sometimes emitted subconsciously. Sam doubted it was anything like mind control or intrusive thoughts, he could still see the war going on in his brother's eyes. This time though Dean didn't seem dead set on shouldering every last bit of blame he could heap onto himself. Like he was tentatively willing to listen to what they now had to say.

Sam might not know what it was that Maya was unintentionally doing, but what ever it was it seemed to be trying to heal the wounds Dean had that couldn't be seen. And for that he was grateful.

"If you did want it and-and you liked torturing souls it's because you were in Hell. A place designed to torture people," Sam told him, his eyes begging Dean to understand that neither of them saw him any different. That they just wanted to be there for him.

"And what better way to torture someone who spent their entire life trying to protect and save people…than to have them become like the monsters they hunted," she said softly with a sad smile. "It wasn't the real you, Dee."

Somewhere inside Dean wanted to believe them. God did he want to.

But he couldn't.

Dean grimaced and shook his head, pushing away that little part that asked him to listen and believe their words. That his pleasure from torturing those souls was just Hell messing with him. Twisting the relief he felt when he got off the rack.

"I-I can't," Dean told them thickly, looking away as two sets of concerned and heartbreaking eyes stared at him. "I can't."

.

Sioux City, Iowa, United States

Late that night…

A hokey-pokey magician falls dead on the busy sidewalk, late at night with ten stab wounds…but no holes in his shirt.

.

December 4 2008, Grand Island, Iowa, United States

Red Coach Inn & Suites

Early morning…again, Dean?!

Dean found the curious headline of a stabbing with no tears in the shirt online only a few hours away. Sam and Maya were less than impressed at Dean continuing his non-stop hunting crusade.

Sure they better understood Dean's need to save people as some desire for redemption he thinks he didn't deserve.

But they both still wanted a break. Unfortunately they couldn't say no when more lives could be claimed if they didn't get on it.

And they already checked with Bobby behind Dean's back. The closest available Hunter was a couple of days away…

So…to Iowa!

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay…

Not!

Not yay!

.

Sioux City, Iowa, United States

Palmer House Motel

That afternoon…

Maya walked into the motel with a plastic suit bag over her shoulder. Looking through the partial wall divider she greeted Sam, "Hey. How'd the interview with the assistant go?"

Sam looked up from his laptop on the small table and sighed tiredly, "Good, I guess. If you can consider every magician the vic ever stole a trick from a possible suspect good." He rubbed his face and shucked the jacket off his FBI suite, "How'd finding some cheap FBI clothes go?"

Maya sent him an annoyed look as she threw the garment bag on the bed, "Successful. It's stuffy. It's sophisticated. It's bland. And I hate it."

Sam sent her an entertained smirk and shrugged at her, leaning on folded hands and propped elbows, "Best way to make sure you're there for some important info gathering experience, while not raising too many eyebrows."

Maya hmph'd as she opened up the cheap garment bag and glared at the cheap outfit she got. Puck jumped up on the bed and looked at the outfit. He'd seen her try it on at the second hand store…and had laughed then just like he did now.

"Real supportive," Maya drawled at Puck who just snickered at her.

Sam stood up from his seat to see the outfit that Maya was stuck with and had to choke back a laugh.

The blouse was billowy and pink. Maya hated pink. It's why she did that illusion prank to Dean's precious car in that colour…along with some artful illustrations. The rest of it was fine if it looked a little big for her…and was a lot of grey.

"What, no skirts?" Sam joked, smirking playfully at Maya, his smile growing as she did—as Dean had often described—a bitch-face, one that apparently greatly resembled his own.

"I will if you do," Maya challenged with a glower. "Otherwise, fuck your skirts. Screw," Maya gestured rudely towards the offending outfit at a loss for words. "…I don't know! But that!"

Sam chuckled, "Did you remember to grab some shoes?"

Maya stared at him with a telling silence.

"No," she was not going back out again.

"If you want in on the next interview for this case you got to look the part," Sam grinned as Maya just stiffly shook her head with barely contained annoyance, and possibly some rage too.

With a frustrated sound she opened the door to leave room in a huff with Puck snickering behind her.

"Hey, can you grab some food while you're out?" Sam called as he went back to his computer.

"Usual Chinese?" Maya stopped in the door and sighed as she leaned back to look at him through the divider.

Sam gave her silent thumbs up, hearing the door click closed as she left.

It would be an hour later when Ruby showed up, giving him a heads up of the number of seals that had fallen, 34. And how the angels were losing that war unless someone does something about it, soon and not waste their time in Magic USA. Sam easily picked up the pointedness in Ruby's words.

"And that someone is me?" Sam motioned to himself, annoyed that all that responsibility was being shoved onto his shoulders.

"Who else would it be?" Ruby scoffed, hands on her hips.

"I don't know where these seals are," he pointed out angrily. "I don't know squat. So why don't you tell me where you'd like me to start!"

"Well, you can quit dicking around here, for one," Ruby retorted. "Bigger fish, Sam. And if the seals are being broken you might want to go after the one doing the breaking."

"Lilith," Sam surmised, seeing where Ruby was headed with this conversation.

"Cut the head off the snake," Ruby told him simply, like that's all it would take. "You're the only one who can stop her, Sam," she walked up into Sam's personal space. "So step up and kill the little bitch." She then brushed past him.

"Oh, I'm game, believe me," Sam told her, turning to keep her in his line of sight. "It's not the psychic thing I got the problem with," Sam said assertively, his mouth drying a little as that craving reared its nasty head.

"Yeah, I know what you got a problem with, but tough," Ruby scoffed, not about to let the boy off that easy. She knew what she needed him to do, to be willing to do. "It's the only way!"

Ruby should really be given an Emmy.

Sam and Ruby starred each other down.

Ruby could practically see the fight between Sam the Hunter and Sam the Demon Blood Guzzler in his eyes. The tightening of the jaw, the clenching of the fist…Ruby waited for his answer. She hoped it would be in her favor to get the stubborn man back on track. Even when Dean came back Ruby was able to see his will weakening in his resolve to stop every time they saw each other and knew it was only a matter of time.

Then that damn half-breed came into the picture and all of a sudden that chink in his armor against the demon blood and the temptation of revenge against Liltih was smaller and more reinforced.

Sam could feel the blood rush through his ears as the craving, the need for what Ruby offered assaulted him. He didn't back down and steeled himself, thinking about Dean, about Maya.

"No," Sam finally told Ruby firmly. He swallowed down the dryness in his mouth thickly.

Ruby shook her head. It was time to try a different route if revenge wasn't as tempting as before, "You know, this would be all so much easier if you'd just admit to your self that you like it." Sam looked away from her, "That feeling that it gives you."

Sam returned her stare with a steely gaze and denied her remark, "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, I don't, huh?" Ruby scoffed. "Fine," she walked to the door before turning back to him one more time. "It's simple—Lucifer rises, the Apocalypse starts. You think that you have demons on your hands now? People are gonna die Sam. Oceans of people. So you just let me know when you're ready," she walked out of the room leaving Sam to his thoughts.

Sam didn't want to think about Ruby's words, about admitting that he liked the power the demon blood gave him. The way it made him feel strong, almost invincible. And he didn't want to consider the consequences Ruby pointed out if he didn't start using again and ended Lilith now.

He had every intention of killing Lilith. That wouldn't change.

But he could find another way that didn't involve demon blood drinking.

Right?

.

Agrosy Casino

Evening

Sam and Maya stood at the back of the entertainment hall by the bar in the Agrosy as they waited for Dean. Thank God that during the last couple weeks between cases they got Maya some fake ID's from Kinkos otherwise she'd be sitting in a motel room bored out of her skull…and possibly setting up pranks for them to keep herself occupied.

Although, she probably would be stuck wearing the God-awful suit she scrounged up on the fly. She could very well tell that her medical aid dog in his little vest still found the sight of her in the atrocity very amusing.

Dean came up behind them, "Hey, find anything interesting." He looked over at Maya, eyed her suit—particularly the pink blouse—and the bitch-face she was sending his way, daring him to say anything.

Well, no one said he wasn't a daring man, "Other than Goldy's vibrant shirt."

Oh the glower. Oh the glower that just made her look like an angry kitten with a ridiculously pink bow.

Sam stifled a chuckle as Maya pretended to gut punch Dean to make him flinch, "No. You?"

Dean eyed Maya warily as behind that glower sparked that oh so concerning spark of mischief. He turned to Sam, "Nothing I want to talk about or even think about ever again."

"What happened?" Maya asked curiously with a gleam in her eyes.

Dean shook his head, "Not happening Goldy." He then spotted the two older gentlemen that had tricked him earlier, "C'mon." He motioned with his head for the others to follow him.

The gentlemen turned as they made their approach.

Dean greeted them with, "The Chief, huh?"

The shorter man with white hair, black bowtie, and birthmark at the corner of his right eyebrow stifled a smirk, "What's the matter? The Chief not your type?"

Maya's gold eyes twinkled with curiosity as she did her best to suppress her brightening smile at the prospect of new teasing material against Dean.

Dean gave a fake chuckle and casually threatened, "You know, I could have you both arrested for obstruction of justice."

The other older gentleman with a balding head and graying pony-tailed hair and glasses looked at Dean with confusion, "How? You're no Fed."

"We con people for a living, son," the white haired man pointed out. "Takes more than a fake badge to get past us. That and little miss here's a bit young to be an agent."

With the ruse up and professionalism found in the Federal workplace no longer required, Maya broke into a smile, chuckled, and gave the two men a couple of slow claps, "We were going for junior agent or assistant. Now tell me about this Chief person you sent big Bro here to see? I assumed from the awkwardness and conversation it was—"

The two older men chuckled as Dean—without looking—wrapped an arm around her head and covered her mouth with his hand stopping her from speaking, "Ignore her. She enjoys finding new ways to torture me."

Sam pulled at his collar awkwardly, loosening his tie at not only being found out so easily but also from the way Dean and Maya were acting.

Why did they have to be so embarrassing?

Dean sent Maya a warning glare before releasing her then looked back at the other men, "Yeah, we—we are actually…aspiring magicians."

Maya covered her own mouth as her eyes bugged and she snorted loudly while trying to hold back the laugh that tried to escape her.

"Sorry!" she apologized with a strained chuckle. "Aspiring is putting it mildly. I swear if I wasn't around they couldn't pull off the simplest trick," Maya easily smoothed over and grinned at them mischievously.

Dean and Sam sent her a couple of half-hearted glares.

"And you can't get out of the box without showing a hand or a foot," Dean quipped, getting an affectionate eye roll.

"As you can see we—we came to the convention because we thought we could learn something," Sam shrugged as he moved the conversation forward, putting on his best sheepish and hopeful look.

"Yeah, get some ideas for our new show," Dean added.

"Ooh, what kind of show?" the man with the glasses asked, not quite believing them yet.

"It's a sibling act," Maya answered with practiced ease and confident smile. "Nothing complex right now. Simple stuff with rings and doves and card tricks, and as you might've seen earlier—lot's of sibling ribbing," her smile broadened and she sent the older men a playful wink. She then frowned seriously and growled out, "But I told these assholes if they think I am wearing some stereotypical sparkly, skimpy, girly leotard they got another thing coming!" Maya sent a glare at Sam and Dean for effect.

They both rolled their eyes at her while they did their best to contain their disgust at the thought of parading Maya around in front of an audience (cough-men in the audience-cough) in anything like she had just suggested.

"Sibling rivalry and bickering," the balding man with glasses mused with a chuckle. "Not bad—just don't focus too much between you two," he motioned between Maya and Dean. "Unless you want to act like a mediator in the act the whole time," he nodded at Sam.

"Wouldn't be too different than every other day of our lives," Sam sighed begrudgingly. "Sucks being the middle child."

That got the two men chuckling, but before they could get any further the announcer came over the loud speakers, "Ladies and gentleman, I give you the Incredible Jay."

The white haired man turned to look back at them, "You want to learn something? Stick around."

And they did.

What they witnessed shouldn't have been possible. Not the regular it's-magic/illusion-kind-of-not-possible. But the kind that was actually not humanly possible, as Sam had so eloquently put it.

.

December 5 2008, Sioux City, Iowa, United States

Palmer House Motel

Late morning…

"Looks like this guy was a big deal in the 70's," Sam read off the website from his computer while looking up Jay.

"Which in Magician Land means what, exactly?" Dean asked from his bed, looking up from his books on different types of witchcraft.

"Big enough to play Radio City Music Hall," Sam answered back, his eyes still glued to the screen.

"What got him stuck in their 'Where are they now?' file?" Dean flipped another page in one of the ancient books spread in front of him.

"He got old," Sam shook his head.

"Outside of movies and music there aren't many exceptions to fame lasting past the prime years of someone's life," Maya commented as she flipped through a book on tarot cards to see if the card Sam and Dean got from stab-wounds-with-no-holes-in-shirt douchebag's assistant. "I mean, even the cute little kid who starred in Home Alone did not stay cute. Career? Done-zo."

Dean snorted at that comparison, "Right. So, maybe the Incredible Jay is using real magic to stage a comeback?"

Sam shrugged, "It's possible." It was a good enough a motive as any. Lose all that fame and money from something as unforgiving as age would make anyone bitter and jonesing for the good ole days. "Some kind of spell that works a death transference."

Taking out some real pieces of work in the same industry was probably enticing as well.

Dean pursed his lips in thought, "How does the tarot card mix into it? Goldy?"

Maya shrugged as she flipped the slightly blood stained card in her fingers, "Not sure. Wracking my brains on any spells my Dad or Bobby might've mentioned, but all my head is coming up with is a scientific principle."

Dean looked at her askance, "Science? Thought you didn't like school?"

Maya sent him a tired bitch-face, "The childish and petty social interactions part of it. I was perfectly fine learning and making friends, well the one friend anyways. Just couldn't handle the underhanded comments and snide remarks over whose dating who, whose loose, and how much so and so was a total loser."

Dean's lips quirked in a teasing smirk, "And those witches, right? You must just love this case."

Maya raised her face to the Heavens and groaned at the memory, "Don't even go there, assface."

Sam whistled for their attention, "Uh, guys? Back on track?"

Maya shook her head, "Right, right. I was just thinking about energy transfer. Where energy can be transferred from one object to another. What if this is the magical equivalent? But instead of energy…"

"It's death," Sam finished with a nod.

"I'm pretty sure that's how a death transference spell works, but what does the tarot cards—" Dean asked impatiently.

"A beacon," Sam concluded. "A way for the spell to know which target to send the…death energy too."

"Right, 'cause why not?" Dean sighed tiredly. With a shake of his head he stood up, "Man, I hope I die before I get old." Dean walked over to Maya to look at this beacon of death card. "The whole thing seems kind of brutal don't it?" he asked no one in particular.

Maya didn't know what to say to that. Her heart squeezed at the thought of anyone she cared about dying, let alone dying young. She licked her lips as an old thought of a possible future unfurled in her mind, but quickly shoved it away.

It was an errant thought. One she'd have every now and then as the weight of her demi-god status hit her.

When it did she'd think about Bobby, then over time included Sam, Dean, and Eli when they were still friends.

"You think we will?" Sam asked, drawing Dean's attention.

"What?"

"Die before we get old?" Sam waited for Dean's reply, not seeing Maya lower her quickly distancing eyes.

"Haven't we both already?" Dean answered with a slight smirk.

Sam scoffed, "You know what I mean, Dean. I mean, do you think we'll still be chasing demons when we're 60?"

"No," Dean shook his head, body turned to face his brother. "I think we'll be dead, for good."

Sam rolled his eyes with an incredulous smile.

Both didn't see as Maya bit her lip as their conversation kept the errant thought from leaving. It was distressing and something she might have to face if they manage to advert the Apocalypse.

"What? You want to end up like—like Travis? Huh? Or Gordon, maybe?" Dean pointed out some of the less mentally stable and well-adjusted Hunters they'd encountered.

"There's Bobby," Sam countered, with the sanest older Hunter they knew.

"Oh, yeah, there's a poster child for growing up gracefully," rolled his eyes with a huff and walked back to his bed and sat down.

Sam shrugged and tried hopefully, "Maybe we'll be different, Dean."

Dean looked over at him with a raised eyebrow, "What kind of Kool-Aid you drinking, man?" Sam looked away, rebuffed. "Sammy, it ends bloody or sad. That's just the life."

Maya stared unseeingly out of the window, her gold eyes shining and Puck curled up beside her, looking up at her with sad eyes. He nudges her hand in hopes petting him will ease some of her pain. It does, if only a little.

Sam partially closes his laptop, "What if we could win?"

"Win?" Dean looked at Sam skeptically.

"If there was a way we could just…put an end to all of it," Sam hesitated.

Dean picked up on something. He wasn't sure what but there was something going on, "Is there something you're not telling us?"

"No," Sam answered a little quickly. His eyes flickered from Dean to Maya, but quickly back to Dean when he said that dreaded nickname again. Sam noticed something off with Maya, but didn't get the chance to look further.

"Sammy," Dean said with a little warning in his voice.

"No," Sam asserted. "Look, I'm just saying…that—" Sam stood up in a huff. "I just wish there was a way we could…go after the source, that's all. Cut off the head of the snake."

"Well the problem with the snake is that it has a thousand heads," Dean pointed out. "Evil bitches just keep piling out of the Volkswagen."

Arms crossed, Sam's face became dejected as Dean's words hit home. First it was Azazel, now it's Lilith. It seemed like they'd kill one bad MOFO only to have another show up not long after. It was only two but hopefully it wouldn't become some sick horrific pattern.

"Yeah, guess you're right," Sam conceded and took a glance at their oddly quiet little Trickster, and immediately felt like an ass. "Hey, Maya, you okay?"

At being addressed Maya looked over at them over her shoulder from the other bed with distant eyes and a tear trailing down a cheek.

"Y-yeah," Maya sniffed thickly as she rubbed the tear and her wet eyes. "I'm-I'm fine. Just the topic of aging got to me, I guess," she gave them a strained smile.

"Why would aging bother you? Out of the three of us you're most likely to stay young forever, right?" Dean asked with a teasing smirk, to try and get her to smile a little…it had the opposite effect.

Maya's strained smile quivered as more tears welled up in her eyes.

"Yeah, and outlive anyone I've ever loved or ever will love," she choked. "If I'm more pagan god—in that way—I'll outlive everyone I've ever known. If you two don't bite it from hunting I'll just lose you to freakin' time!" she gave a sad chuckle. "If I ever find someone to l-love and maybe have a family with, I'll outlive them too. And…and any kids I have," tears fell from her eyes as she shut them tightly.

Maya felt a dip in the bed and a large palm on her back rubbing soothing circles. She opened wet eyes to see Sam looking at her with a sympathetic smile, his large hand remaining on her back as a comforting weight.

"Wouldn't your…kids…" Dean grimaced at the thought of her getting knocked up by some…guy. Ugh, gross and no way in hell! Not on his watch! "…live as long as you?"

She shook her head, "Unless I find a pagan god or demi-god, but pickings are slim with my moral compass." Maya gave Dean a grim smile, "Chances are my partner would probably be human. There are after 7 billion people on this rock, millions for every one pagan or demi-god out there. And even if I don't adopt, the kids'll be mostly human too. Human lifespan included and I…I don't think I'm strong enough for that."

Maya had wedged herself into Sam's side and let the giant man fully wrap his arm around her in a hug she desperately needed, but now it was time to move on from this sad and heavy turn in the conversation.

"At least either way I'd still age better than the both of you," she forced out a chuckle and small smile. "If you ever reach 60 I'll still look fantastic."

Sam and Dean shared a quick look over her head; both knowing what she was doing and they were all down for it. Well, mostly Dean, because emotions. Sam looked like he wanted to maybe try and keep her talking, get her to let all of it out, but Dean kyboshed that with what he did next.

Dean got up and placed his hand in her short fluffy brown curls and rubbed them, "In your dreams sweetheart! Even if you stop aging you'd still be grape juice in comparison to the finely aged wine I'd be!"

Maya finally snorted a real laugh as she pushed away from Sam, "Finely aged wine from a suck ass year you mean, and tastes like crap."

Dean wrapped her head in a headlock and began noogey-ing her head as she flailed in his grip, "What was that, Goldy?"

"You're an asshole!" was her muffled response. Puck moved to the head of the bed where the pillows were and watched them contentedly as the smell of her sadness faded.

Sam had gotten up, shaking his head with a smile at the two of them. His heart hurt for Maya's predicament, and wondered if that was one of the reasons why she latched onto them so quickly.

She wanted to spend as much time as she could with them, not knowing when they'd be gone for good, either from Hunting…or time.

"Well, while you two do, that," he gestured vaguely at them. "I'll go track down Jay and see if he's our guy. And try to dig up some more on that tarot card when you two aren't too busy, okay?"

Maya had broken free and launched her self at a chuckling Dean.

"Bye Sammy!" they called after him in unison as they continued the impromptu playful wrestling match.

He doubted they'd get any more research done and as much as it annoyed him, he also found him self not minding too much. It was good to see Dean take a moment from being the gun-ho Hunter he had been for the last few weeks and just act like his old self a bit.

Sam was grateful for Maya in their hectic lives for what she unknowingly did for Dean, for the both of them.

For being that little bit of light in the darkness.

.

Patricia Hotel

That afternoon…

Sam walked into the lobby of the Patricia Hotel, after walking the past cop cars and ambulance vehicle, to a full black body bag being wheeled out on a gurney. Seeing Maya, Puck, and Dean standing off to the side watching the proceedings he quickly walked over to them.

"Hey," Sam greeted as he walked up to them. "Got your text. What's going on?"

"Maid found Jeb hanging from the ceiling fan. Police think was a suicide," Dean pulled out a tarot card from his jacket. "I beg to differ. Pulled a little slight of hand myself," Dean held up the card for Sam to see.

Sam took the card and looked at the 'Hanged Man' tarot, "On Dexter's body?"

"Yeah, you and Goldy were onto something with the whole cards acting like some kind of black-magic beacons."

"Thank you, Bill Nye!" Maya quipped with a lopsided grin. Sam and Dean sent her a couple of quick and amused smiles seeing her earlier sadness no longer there.

Sam then asked in all seriousness, "Any connection between the victims?"

"Jeb was a total douchebag to Jay yesterday," Dean answered, the smile falling from his lips.

"What about the first vic, uh, Vance?" Sam probed further.

"Apparently Vance was heckling Jay at the bar the day he was killed," Maya answered before Dean, earning her a disgruntled pout that Dean would deny to his grave.

Sam gave a quiet coincidental chuckle as they all started walking further into the hotel, "So Jay sneaks a card into Vance's pocket, does the Table of Death…"

"Then takes ten swords to the chest," Dean finished for him.

"Then Jay slips a noose and Jeb doesn't. Hell of a trick," Maya added with a tight thin-lipped grin. "I mean, I applaud the just desserts angle going on here but the deaths were totally unnecessary."

The brothers give her a dry look that she just shrugged her shoulders at. Maya was what she was. At least she wasn't laughing at the whole thing, just acknowledging some coincidental facts.

"Yeah, well, I think it's time we had a little chat with Jay," Dean looked over her head at Sam, nodding at him. "Any luck tailing him?"

Sam shifted awkwardly and admitted sheepishly, "He slipped me."

Maya furrowed her eyebrows and looked up at him, "Seriously?"

Sam gave a helpless shrug.

Maya snickered, while Dean gave him a look of disbelief.

"He's a 60-year-old," Dean said pointedly.

"He's a magician," Sam said equally as pointedly, like that answer explained everything.

Maya covered her smile with a hand as she silently laughed as Sam and Dean argued how a magician, 60 years old or not, could still give someone the slip.

.

December 6 2008, Sioux City, Iowa, United States

Patricia Hotel

Next day…

Afternoon

Maya was delegated to wait in the hotel lobby in case Jay somehow made it past Sam and Dean. Dean was doubtful, but Sam and Maya were in agreement. Witch or not this guy was a magician, Master of Misdirection. Better safe than sorry.

Didn't mean Maya was happy about being stuck in the lobby as lookout. What if something happened and they needed her and Puck's help?

Sigh.

So instead she waited for a gunshot to go off.

And waited.

Waited some more.

Maya frowned from her inconspicuous corner near the staircase.

Something was wrong.

Thundering footsteps down the main stairs garnered her attentions as Sam and Dean came down, walked right past her and frantically looked around.

"No way he could outrun us," Maya overheard Sam breathlessly say as he scanned the lobby, looking away from her. "And Maya's around here somewhere."

"Maybe he vanished," Dean suggested not seeing her yet either. Honestly. "I mean, he really is good."

"Or maybe he found a backdoor," Sam added as he and Dean watched through a window as a police car came to an abrupt stop outside the hotel.

"Guys—" Maya called as she was about to make her way over to them, but stopped short as Jay ran down the stairs as the police burst into the lobby.

"That's them!" Jay shouted, pointing at Sam and Dean. Maya quickly backpedaled around the corner with Puck. "Those are the two nut jobs that just broke into my room!"

The lobby quieted as the police clicked back their safety and pointed their guns at Sam and Dean.

"Freeze! Hands where I can see 'em!" one of the officers ordered.

With guns pointed at them, Sam and Dean slowly turned around with their hands sheepishly raised.

A crowd had gathered as they were handcuffed, searched, and marched out the casino doors. Maya looked at them worriedly, unsure what to do. She caught Dean's and his tight mouth and quick discrete shake of his head, telling her not to interfere.

Maya watched them enter the cruiser and be driven off.

Now what?

.

Agrosy Casino

That evening…

Maya hung around the bar with Puck anxiously in her overly stuffy feeling formal FBI attire. Silently seething with hatred at the god awful pink shirt she had to wear. Especially given the stealth she had needed to sneak into the sold out show. Maya bit her lip as she eyed the back stage entrance and its guard.

She'd been sneaky in her surveillance and noticed how much water the guard had drank. As the room slowly filled up for the nightly show her and Puck slowly made her way closer.

Maya didn't know what she was going to do. She didn't have a gun, let alone any witch-killing bullets, but she had to do something.

Well, worse comes to worse Puck could probably just bite his head off.

The guard looked around, not noticing the surreptitious eyes watching them as they made a beeline to the nearest rest room.

Maya and Puck then walked confidently and purposefully through the door like they totally belonged backstage.

People are suspicious of nervous looking people.

Not the confident ones.

Seeing a separation curtain she saw a brief glance of a lit up vanity mirror on the other side through the slightly parted sheets. Walking up she paused on the other side as she heard voices on the other side.

"Well, what about the escapes? I haven't been able to slip a pair of cuffs in 30 years!" was obviously Jay's voice, sounding angry and…confused. Maya frowned at the confusion in the man's voice. "And then there was that way that—that Patrick Vance died and that Jeb Dexter."

"Yeah, no great loss there," came another voice, sounding like one of Jay's friends her and the boys had talked to the other night. There was no sorrow in his voice.

"Oh, Charlie, he didn't deserve to die," Jay chided.

"You had nothing to do with it!" Charlie pointed out a little aggressively.

"He was hanged the same night I performed the Executioner!" Jay argued loudly.

"Wait a minute," Charlie's voice paused. "Are you telling me you actually believe those guys? That there was some kind of 'real magic' involved?"

Maya kept her ear open as she looked around her to see if anyone was coming by.

"No," Jay denied at first then amended it with a quiet, "I don't know. I don't know, maybe."

There was a silent pause.

"I shouldn't go on tonight, Charlie," Maya could just imagine Jay shaking his head fretfully.

"Are you kidding me?" came Charlie's heated voice and thump of something being almost slammed on a hard wooden surface. "You have a sold-out house out there. Sold-out! When was the last time that happened?"

"The other night…when I was doing the Table of Death I was, um…I was going to kill myself. And I have no idea how I got out alive," Jay revealed.

Hearing footsteps approaching and Puck's anxious huff Maya quickly left the curtain to find a hiding spot. Besides, she'd heard enough.

Jay wasn't their witch.

Maya and Puck stayed out of sight until Jay was about ready to go on. Taking a risk she quickly approached him, "Incredible Jay?"

The older white haired gentleman turned to her and Puck with a charming smile, "Oh, hello young lady."

"You know something is going on Jay," Maya wasn't beating around the bush. The show was about to start and the only way to prevent another death tonight was to stop Jay from going on. Who ever was doing the casting was obviously doing it for him.

No death-defying stunt, no death transference.

"I beg your pardon?" Jay looked at her quizzically, but she could see the undercurrent of nervousness.

"You do this trick, someone will die in your place," she said bluntly. "They'll suffer the death you were supposed to. So, please," she pleaded with him, "Don't go on."

Jay narrowed his eyes slightly, but not enough to conceal the dread the lurked inside them, "Are you threatening someone's life?"

Maya shook her head, "I'm not, but you are. Someone is using magic to help you perform these dangerous tricks and to keep you from dying! I overheard you tell your friend that you don't know how you survived the other night! You were cuffed to the table, wanting to die…how do explain escaping and Vance getting ten stab wounds to the chest that would match that death machine you have out there and without a single tear in his shirt?" She looked at him with pleading eyes.

Turmoil whirled inside of Jay as he looked between the odd young woman with a small medical aid dog and the stage.

Jay shook his head and steeled his resolve, choosing to believe his long time friend Charlie and that he had found his groove again, that spark that had drawn crowds to him in the height of his career.

He then gave Maya an accusatory look, "You're with those two that broke into my hotel room today aren't you?!"

"Yeah," Maya answered calmly and bluntly. "We were looking for the witch that has been using a death transference spell. We thought it was you, but you're obviously clueless about real magic. You're just an unwitting pawn reaping all the benefits."

"I'll call the police and—"

"And what, Jay?" Maya cocked her head to the side with a lopsided smirk that would look at home on her Dad's own Trickster face. "Arrest me for sneaking back stage to see an old magician in the middle of reclaiming his fame? C'mon, you and your buddies are con men. You really think that'll slide?" Her smirk grew as Jay deflated a bit, but still glared at her.

"If there is a witch helping me out…do you know who it is?" Jay asked, sounding skeptical, but Maya could hear his curiosity and desire to know. To know if there was such a thing as real magic and if…someone's been using it to save him in exchange for the lives of others.

"No, that's why I'm asking you not to go on. No unexplainable death-defying trick," she held out one empty hand, "No poor schmuck taking your place on the chopping block," she sighed as she offered her other hand. "Your as much an innocent in all this as the others."

Jay shook his head not wanting to believe it, "I'm sorry, but there's no such thing as magic. Their deaths were just…horrible coincidences." He needed to concentrate, not doubt himself before he's strapped to the table once more.

Maya gave him a defeated look and turned to Puck, "Smell anything?"

Puck looked up at her with a whine and shake of his head.

"Damn," Maya cursed as she turned and bumped into one of the magicians she'd met yesterday that had come up behind her. "My bad," she gave a strained smile and made a quick exit.

Charlie watched her go for a minute with narrowed eyes before turning back to Jay to talk him out of not going out.

Again.

After Maya had left the back stage she made a beeline to the women's washrooms just outside the hall. The act was about to start any minute and even if Jay wasn't the witch she wanted to make sure she didn't find herself sporting some new holes later. Going into the large handicap stall, Maya quickly stripped down while Puck kept an eye out under the door.

Naked, she palmed through her FBI getup looking for anything amiss. Mainly looking for a possible tarot—

She pulled out the battered card from the inner pocket lining of her jacket.

The Tower card, a symbol of fire.

Without a second thought Maya tore the card into little pieces and flushed it down the toilet for good measure. She doubted it was Jay, but that didn't mean the witch behind all this didn't see her try to talk him out of performing, or talking about bitchcraft in general.

Back on stage, Charlie and Vernon watched Jay begin his performance behind the shimmering curtains.

Charlie stiffened imperceptively when he felt the death transference beacon card was no longer active. He left Vernon to watch the show as he quickly pulled out another fully loaded card. Then added another spell.

There was no other body around to place it on. Looked like he'd have to reveal himself to the others sooner than he'd planned.

Oh well. He was done being old anyways.

A minute later the swords fell and Jay walked out from behind the curtain unscathed.

Five seconds after that a woman screamed and Jay ran to find Charlie dead on the ground, ten wounds bleeding through an unscathed and fully intact shirt.

.

Patricia Hotel

Same night…

Jay, Maya and Puck watched as Sam and Dean walked in the front entrance of the hotel.

Sam saw Maya standing with Jay in her street clothes, Puck loyally at her feet, and nodded at her, "Hey Maya, you doing okay?"

She gave him a half smile at his concern, "Yeah. But there's been…another death." Maya motioned her head towards Jay.

"Jay," Sam greeted. "Thanks for dropping the charges."

Dean came up behind Sam after giving Maya a quick once over then turned his attention to the older man, "Mind telling us why you did it?"

Jay's lip quivered slightly as he looked at Sam and Dean, and gave Maya a quick glance, "We have to talk."

Jay took them to a nearby dive bar, because the conversation they were about to have was best had over hard liquor.

Jay told them how Charlie was dead. Ten stab wounds in the chest, but no puncture holes in the shirt, like Vance. He told them how him and Charlie became friends, more than friends, brothers.

"I'm sorry, Jay," Sam said sympathetically. They all knew too well what it was like to lose a sibling, or in Maya's case someone as good as.

"When you told me that my show was killing people, I should have listened," Jay lamented.

"Well you weren't the one pulling the trigger," Dean pointed out helpfully.

Jay shook his head, "Yeah, but someone did, and I want to find out who did this to Charlie. So I'll do whatever you guys say. Just tell me what to do."

Sam, Dean, and Maya looked between each other, all of them knowing he wasn't going to like what comes next.

Maya was the first to speak up, "Jay, whoever's doing this…they like you. If they didn't and it was just revenge against Vance and Jeb…you probably would've succeeded that first night and not be here right now." Maya sent him a knowing look; she knew what he had planned.

Sam and Dean sent her confused and curious looks, but Maya shook her head. It wasn't important now.

"Yeah, so they're probably close to you," Sam suggested, pushing the conversation forward. Now for the hard part, "Did Charlie and Vernon get along?"

Realization dawned in Jay's eyes and he shook his head in denial, "No. No, it's not Vernon."

Dean sighed heavily as he lifted his eyes to meet Jay's, "He's the only one that makes sense."

"Charlie and Vernon were your family, Jay," Sam added, his face wincing a bit at what was being implied.

"And now Charlie's gone," Dean finished, not trying to be insensitive but just stating facts.

"Yeah, but…they butted heads sometimes, but Vernon could never do something like this," Jay defended his last friend.

"See the thing about real magic, it's a whole lot like crack. People do surprising things once they get a taste of it," Sam gave Dean a side-glance at his words, the words hitting a little too close for comfort. Maya frowned openly at Dean.

"Not magic, Dean. Unchecked power," Maya corrected earning a look that told her how much he wanted to argue on that point. "There's a difference. I mean, what do you think gave me my innate powers, huh? But you don't see me abusing the crap out of it."

Dean blinked in astonishment then demanded, "Wait, what?!" Sam looked almost as surprised, but more like he was chiding himself for not making the logical leap. Anything that could make physical constructs out of nothing had to have some kind of innate magical ability.

Maya gave him a bland look and said very slowly and condescendingly, "Trickster. Magic."

"Trickster?" Jay questioned as he looked at the girl sitting in front of him.

"Hello, my name's Maya and I will your demi-god on this supernaturally charged excursion," she gave Jay a lopsided grin with mischief sparkling in her eyes. "Please keep all asshole-ery to a minimum if you are unprepared to receive comical just desserts," the lopsided grin became a little more predatory.

Any cautious feeling Maya may have stirred up inside Jay's chest disappeared the moment Dean whacked her upside the head and she glared angrily at the eldest Winchester with a particular face.

She looked like an angry fluffy kitten.

With last drink of his scotch Jay told them he was in, "You better be damned sure about this. Vernon's all I got left."

.

December 7 2008, Sioux City, Iowa, United States

Patricia Hotel

The next evening…

Sam, Dean, Maya and Puck had gone into Vernon's room once he'd left to go talk to Jay at the casino. They searched through the cluttered room, but found no traces of bitchcraft. Puck even sniffed around for anything that would be classed as black magic but didn't find anything either.

Just a lot of old time magic memorabilia. Guess these guys liked drowning in the past.

"It's just a bunch of old timey magic stuff," Dean put it eloquently as he threw down some posters. "None of it magic."

"No herbs, no candles—"

"And no tarot cards," Maya finished for Sam with a sigh as she surveyed the room and Puck gave her a small apologetic whine for not being more helpful.

Dean pushed through some of the posters on the bed, one catching his eye. Picking it up he looked closer at it, surprisingly recognizing the man on the old poster, "I'll be damned."

Dean flipped it around to show Sam and Maya, "Look like anyone we know?"

It was a 1920's poster of The Great Dessertini, showcasing the man's right side of his face with a very familiar and distinctive birthmark at the corner of his right brow.

"Charlie?" Maya said with surprise. "Well that explains the tarot card I found on me just before Jay's act."

The tense silence and pointed eyes directed her way was telling.

"What?" Maya glanced between Sam and Dean.

"So, you were supposed to get it last night instead?!" Dean demanded. "Why didn't you say anything?!"

"Because it didn't happen?" Maya raised an eyebrow. "Otherwise I wouldn't be talking with you right now, would I?" she snarked.

Sam sighed seeing Dean starting to work himself up, "Maya we're just shocked that's all. How do you think we'd feel if you didn't catch that card on you in time?"

Sad puppy-eyes with laser beam focus right to the goddamn heart.

Maya immediately looked repentant, "Sorry."

Dean let his anger over Maya keeping something like that from them go in a drawn out sigh, "Just—just tell us next time, yeah?"

Maya gave them a sheepish smile before squinting at them, "But wouldn't you guys just freak out sooner and go into tag-team mother hen mode?"

Oh the protesting she received as they quick left the hotel and drove as quickly as they could to the Agrosy.

.

Agrosy Casino

They quickly made their way to the entertainment lobby after entering (sneaking in for Maya) the casino.

Dean handed Maya the extra handgun he grabbed for her, "Don't shoot unless it's only the witch in your line of sight. Your aim still needs work and I don't feel like getting shot in the ass today."

"Safety on until the last second then?" Maya asked dryly as she carefully took the gun.

"Please," Dean stressed as they came to the double doors and a young male voice offer Jay and presumably Vernon immortality. "We'll keep him busy. Try to surprise him from the side, get him off kilter."

Sam and Dean quickly entered, getting the attention of the men in the auditorium. Maya waited till Dean had command of the witch's full attention, "Not so fast! I ain't Gutternberg, and this ain't Cocoon."

Sam and Dean jogged up the stage to face Jay, Vernon, and a young Charlie. Dean motioned with his gun for Jay and Vernon to move away from Charlie.

Maya and Puck quietly slipped in and discretely as possible made the long way around to the stage.

"Immortality. That's a neat trick," Dean said with a strained and mocking tight-mouthed grin.

"It's not a trick. It's magic," Charlie said simply, not at all threatened by the Hunters facing him.

None of them saw the noose that descended from the ceiling to ensnare Dean around the neck and hoisted him up in the air with a strangled noise. Maya's eyes went wide and clenched her teeth as she tried to find a good angle to take a shot from.

One that didn't possibly endanger anyone else's life other than Charlie's.

In response to Dean's distress Sam quickly raised his gun and fired, but it didn't have the desired effect.

Charlie had simply turned his head and then turned to look back at Sam like he was chewing on something. He held up a finger and spat the bullet out, "Hey, bullet catch—been working on that."

Sam unwittingly followed the bullet as Charlie tossed it up in the air before disappearing. Maya frantically searched the stage for where Charlie could have ended up.

"Get him!" Dean shouted as he gripped at the noose to keep his neck from strangling too quickly.

Sam saw him first at the side of the stage beside the Table of Death. Gun raised he advanced on Charlie, "Let him go! Now!"

"Just leave me and my friends alone."

"I said, now!" Sam demanded angrily.

Maya had seen Sam move and cursed realizing she wouldn't have a good shot from where she was, especially with Sam there. She crouched low as she moved along the bottom edge of the stage, using it as cover.

Charlie calmly put his hands up, "All right, I will give it up—the spells, the hexes. This is the last time. I promise." Sam lowered his gun, looking like he might believe him, but instead took a swing at the witch.

Only for his fist to hit air as Charlie teleported behind him, back to Maya.

As Sam turned around Charlie pushed him back onto the Table of Death, the clasps locking Sam in place as the rope holding ten swords slowly began to break.

'Crap!' Maya thought frantically as she unclicked the safety and took aim.

She fired, but only managed to lodge a bullet in Charlie's shoulder.

Charlie gasped from the pain and turned to look at her.

"Uh oh," Maya gulped with wide eyes before finding herself suddenly suspended over the seats in mid air, her arms and legs spread eagle and useless.

"I wondered where you'd gone," Charlie said with strain in his voice as he rotated his bleeding shoulder. Scratch that—healed shoulder.

Puck quickly transformed as he leapt on stage with a snarl, then lunged at the witch. Jay and Vernon gave shouts of surprise and fear at the sight of the enlarged and ferocious looking canine.

"Whoa!" Charlie dodged and lost concentration for a moment on Maya, causing her to fall with a yelp.

Maya quickly stood up with a grunt and took shaky aim once more, "Puck! Grab him!"

Charlie was splitting his attention between the two, but focused on the dog trying to sink its teeth into him, artfully dodging every lunge and attempted chomp to subdue him.

Charlie actually looked somewhat worried. He'd never encountered such a creature before and if he thought the girl was different before, this just cemented that fact as he maneuvered himself closer to the stage curtains.

After all, what human knowingly had a supernatural canine as a pet?

Maya gritted her teeth as she tried to aim at the witch again. Unfortunately with him getting further and further from the edge of the stage it became harder to aim, not to mention he was constantly moving to avoid Puck's teeth.

Puck made another frustrated lunge, narrowly missing the infuriating witch and sliding a bit into the draping red curtains.

Curtains that suddenly came alive and wrapped around his body like a vice and then lifted him into the air. He twisted and turned trying to get the fabric in his claws or teeth to cut himself down, but it was useless and had to watch as his Mistress clambered on stage and shot off another round—just grazing the witch's cheek as he dodged.

"Well, enough of that," Charlie swept his hand and the gun was forcibly ripped from Maya's grip. "Ah ah ah!" he tsk'd as Maya took out her engraved machete and made to swing at him only to have her arm freeze mid air.

Maya tugged on her arm but it was stuck. Not even moving the slightest bit.

"Now, let's get a better look at you," Charlie said with a too wide grin as he approached her—a little too close for comfort.

Maya's eyes darted to Dean who still struggled in the air and then to Sam as the rope continued to slowly snap one strand at a time.

Jay watched as Charlie held out a hand to the self-proclaimed demi-god and hovered it around her as he circled her. "Charlie what are you doing?"

"Putting the pieces together. I mean, I sensed some magic off of her but I wasn't sure what," Charlie answered his long time friend. "Then she has this killer attack dog, and now that I can examine her…she's a little demi-god," Charlie laughed. "Hunters and a Demi, working together! That's hilarious!"

The witch's eyes grew curious when his hand hovered over where her gauntlets were and illuminated the engraved markings.

The engravings lit up in a sickly light purple, showing druidic knots and bands. On each wrist where an empty circle once was, the cuffs now held a new symbol on each one.

On the right that had a Celtic inspired horn (Horn of Gabriel) with harp strings was the more recognizable Celtic Harp, the symbol of immortality of soul and royalty.

On the left containing the candy-fied stylization of the Sword of Justice was the druidic symbol of Fire, with some later Celtic influence with the Awen (Triple Flame) symbol incorporated into it, a symbol that represented balance and transformation through fire.

Charlie read the symbols and his eyes lit up, "A little Trickster demi-god. I guess that Tower card I planted on you the other night fit huh? Your kind is all about evening out imbalances from injustices and putting your victims through trials of fire. Creation and destruction. Forced changes and enlightenment," Charlie gazed into Maya's terrified gold ones, "Oh all the powerful spells I could do with your blood alone! Not to mention all the other squishy bits." He poked her side for emphasis, not phased in the slightest at her terrified cringe from him. He easily sidestepped the pathetic and desperate kick she sent his way.

Charlie turned to Jay and Vernon, "We won't even need other people for the immortality spell. With just her—between the three of us—we won't have to worry about getting old for at least a couple of centuries!" He threw out his arms with a wide satisfied grin.

If Jay even had the slightest second thought of doing what he was about to do, it was immediately killed at what Charlie had just said.

'Dad. Agrosy Casino, Sioux Falls. Help!' Maya sent in a desperate prayer, not seeing Jay take out a dagger and stab himself, but still remained unharmed.

The stab wound in his gut having been transferred to Charlie.

.

Random Ass Location

Gabriel

The prayer hit Gabriel like a freight train as he snapped his fingers and pinned the demons he was forced to face to the ground by their feet as the angels slew them.

Gabriel turned to the seraph he was supposed to be taking orders from, "Are we done here? Seal saved?"

The seraph looked down on the perceived pagan with a sneer, "No we are not, filth!"

"I just got an SOS from my kid! I need to go to her!" Gabriel was so close to smiting a bitch ass angel it wasn't even funny. He had felt the fear in that one prayer from his daughter.

"It was my understanding that the Righteous Man and his abomination of a brother were looking after it," the angel scoffed as it struck down another demon.

"Obviously that's not working!" Gabriel growled out with clenched fists, ready to fly to her and expose himself, and not in the fun way. Because, what's the point of hiding if the one you're trying to protect dies anyway?!

"Then muster up whatever amounts to a bit of faith in the Righteous Man. If not," the angel sent him a bland yet still disdainful look. "Heaven will end it regardless. It, and by extension you, cannot end up in the wrong hands."

Oh ho ho, Gabriel was ready to show them 'the wrong hands' when he received another prayer from Maya.

'Nevermind. It's over. All good,' came her voice inside his skull.

Despite the relief he felt as he turned away from the arrogant angel and punched a demon a good fifty feet away from him, the prayer hit him harder than the first one.

He had heard her worry, uncertainty, sadness and…doubt. In him.

Gabriel took an unnecessary breath to calm his vessel's increasing heartbeat and the frustrated and sad tears that burned behind his eyes.

He'd always answered her before. Always went to her when she called, even for the littlest of things, even in the middle of an important trick.

But when she really needed him, Gabriel didn't show.

His heart clenched painfully as he prayed to an absentee Father that she would understand when he could finally hold her in his arms again.

.

December 8 2008, Sioux City, Iowa, United States

Nearby Dive Bar

The following night…

Sam, Dean, and Maya had kept their distance after Charlie was killed the previous night and that day as the police combed and worked through the new crime scene at the Agrosy Casino. They doubted the police would have forgotten about Sam and Dean that quickly, despite the charges being dropped.

There was one more thing they needed to do before moving on, so Sam and Dean poked around with Maya following along unnervingly quiet the whole day and found Jay.

As they entered the quiet bar they saw Jay sitting morosely alone at a small table with a glass of dark amber coloured scotch and a deck of cards falling a part in his hand.

"Hey, Jay," Dean greeted as they walked up to the older man's table.

Jay opened his eyes to look up at them slowly, obvious in his desire to not see them.

Dean swallowed under the man's heavy grief laden gaze; "We wanted to thank you for what you did yesterday."

"I killed my best friend yesterday, and you want to thank me?" Jay asked with a depreciative chuckle.

Dean looked down and Sam and Maya couldn't meet the man's grief stricken gaze. If they hadn't interfered Jay's friend might still be alive, but if they hadn't who knew how many people would be dead by now.

It'd been a lose-lose situation.

"Where's Vernon?" Sam asked. He'd thought the other magician would be there to grieve with his last friend.

"Oh, he's gone," Jay shook his head with a sigh. "Said he didn't want to speak to me again after what I did to Charlie."

"Listen, Jay…" Dean paused as he used a relatively unused brain muscle to try to give the older man some kind of comfort or closure. "You know Charlie was never gonna give up what he was doing. Ever. Hell, he wanted to use Goldy here—a seventeen-year-old girl—for whatever spells he had cooking up in his twisted mind," Dean motioned between him and Sam where Maya hung back silently, her eyes looking at the old man with sympathy. "You did the right thing."

"You sure about that?" Jay questioned, his voice tight. "You know, Charlie was like my brother. And now he's dead…because I did 'the right thing'," Jay pushed back on the table as he stood up and threw his card down the wooden and stained surface. "He offered me a gift, and I just threw it back in his face," Jay stumbled to his feet and picked up his whiskey glass. "So now, I have to spend the rest of my life old and alone," bringing the glass to his lips he drained the last of the whiskey inside it.

Jay went to walk by the silent trio—and Puck—but stopped beside Dean and said in a grief-stricken whisper, "What's so right about that?"

Sam and Maya both gave the older gentleman sad apologetic eyes.

Jay's eyes lingered on Maya, the young whatever she was.

"I'm sorry," she told him softly, gold eyes conveying the depth of her feeling she felt for his plight and something else.

"Me too. So, don't waste it," Jay didn't elaborate further as he headed to the pub door. The unspoken words heard loud and clear.

Don't waste the sacrifice I made to save you.

As he went to leave a young waitress called out to him, holding his forgotten cards with a friendly smile, "Jay…your cards."

Jay shook his head, "Throw them away." With that he left the bar, the waitress' smile falling.

"Well I don't know about you two, but…I could go for a beer," Dean sighed, looking at Maya and Sam tiredly.

Maya licked her lips; she knew she was just holding herself together. Her Dad not coming when she needed him had left her feeling shaken. She knew they had to stay radio silent with each other in order to keep whatever trouble her Dad got into away from her, but…Maya never thought he wouldn't come when she needed to pray to him for help.

It felt like whatever safety net or crutch she hadn't realized she had was all of a sudden ripped out from under her, leaving her feeling scared, uncertain, vulnerable. The only consolation being that she wasn't completely alone with Sam, Dean, and Puck there.

Didn't mean it wasn't jarring as fuck.

"I…I kind of want to call it a day," Maya said with a quiet voice, getting worried glances from both Sam and Dean. "I think I'll…I'll head back to the motel," she rubbed the back of her head and went to leave, but a large hand grasped her elbow.

Maya turned to look at Sam who was giving her the gentle 'I'm-here-for-you' face.

"Everything okay? You've been quiet all day," Sam pointed out as he released her elbow.

"Yeah," Dean nodded with a worried frown. "It's weird."

Maya looked at them, her eyes flickering between their green and brown ones before casting them down with a wobbly frown, "My Dad didn't come."

"Maya?" Sam questioned.

"We were all pinned. And I couldn't move and I did the only thing I could finally remember to actually do when I'm in trouble like that," Maya kept her eyes downcast and looking Puck in the eyes. Puck gave a small whine up at her.

"I prayed for him. Told him where we were—where I was. He told me he'd always come running if I needed him, but he didn't," her lower lip quivered as she felt the unshed tears burn in her eyes. "Not last night."

"And Bobby said he was keeping away to draw some gods he angered away, so they didn't find me, but what does it matter if I got killed by something else instead?" she choked out a hollow laugh as a tear fell down her cheek. Maya saw Dean's feet shuffle awkwardly, but Sam moved to her side and used a large arm to press her against his side. "I-I…I'm scared," she admitted in a whisper as she finally looked up, tears making thick watery tracks down her cheeks and gold eyes shimmering.

Sam and Dean felt their hearts ache a little for their honorary little sister.

Dean ran a hand through his short sandy hair and shared a look with Sam before sighing, "Can you give me a minute to get a beer to go, or something?"

Maya opened her mouth to protest that they didn't need to come with her, but Sam squeezed her shoulder, getting her to look up at his soft smile. Her shoulders sagged and she seemed to just…deflate before their eyes looking smaller and younger than she was.

They left the bar together and made their way back to the motel in silence.

None of them really talked as they went about their own businesses—well Sam and Dean did. Maya kind of flip flopped between the two of them, either sitting across from Sam as he browsed his computer while she sketched a bit, or plastered herself to Dean's side as he watched some random show or movie on the TV. Puck loyally following her.

It wasn't said, but Sam and Dean could tell her confidence in the one person she trusted above all else was horribly shaken.

Dean was the one to call it a night first and Maya wasn't too far behind him, climbing into Dean's bed and immediately cuddling up to him and ignoring his weak protesting. They all knew he didn't mean a lick of it, especially if it reassured Maya that she wasn't alone, when her trust in her Dad was fractured (not broken, there's a difference).

While his two siblings had gotten ready for bed, Sam had texted Ruby behind his computer screen.

Sam: Okay. I'm in.

Ruby: Good to hear.

Ruby:On my way.

Ruby: I'm here. Let's get this show started.

Sam saw that last text and let his eyes drift over the calmly breathing bodies on the other bed. He frowned at the text, hesitating.

This case had gotten to him.

How much more pain will he have to witness? Be a part of? Experience?

If Dean was right, will he have to live with his brother dying again fighting some big bad that had them cornered? Or even some regular monster that finally got lucky when he could have stopped it if he hadn't stopped using his powers?

And what about Maya? Sure she was apprehensive about possibly living forever, but he doubted she wanted to die young. And since she seemed to favor the life of a Hunter the later seemed almost guaranteed.

Could he really handle all of that when he was an old man?

After shrugging his tan jacket on with a resigned sigh, Sam then wrote a note for Dean and Maya and went to place it on the nightstand.

Well, until his hazel eyes met gold looking up at him.

"Sam?" Maya queried quietly. "Where you goin'?"

Sam gave her his best reassuring smile, even as his gut twisted at what he was about to do.

He had told her whatever had strengthened his powers that it was a non-issue, one that she didn't need to worry about because he wasn't going to do it anymore.

But so many seals had already fallen, more than half. What was worse? Letting the Apocalypse start…or becoming a liar?

"Just need a walk to clear my head," Sam told her softly. "Thought you were sleeping?"

Maya disentangled her self from Dean and stared up at him, giving him a light shrug and said pitifully, "I guess despite my tear-fest earlier I just—I just can't turn my brain off."

Sam could see the doubt, fear, and failing confidence swirling like miasma in her watery gold eyes.

"Do you think he's okay?" she asked quietly, her eyes showing worry. "My Dad?"

Sam gave her a strained smile, "I'm sure he is."

Still not his favorite person though, but he wasn't about to be an ass about it.

Maya gave him a sad sigh accompanied with equally sorrowful eyes, "Then where is he, Sammy?"

Sam's eyes fell and his smile turned sadder at the sorry state Maya was in and suggested, "You want to watch one of the movies I have on my computer?"

She gave him an assessing look before nodding with the smallest of smiles and slipping out from beside Dean…who unconsciously frowned at the loss of the warm and soothing presence he'd gotten used to over the last few weeks.

As Sam pulled up the movie folder, Maya asked quietly, "Will you stay?" Sam looked at her and made the mistake of making eye contact, "Please?"

What was worse? Not using his powers to help prevent the Apocalypse?

Or becoming a liar to the pair of gold eyes that were looking up to him so imploringly and trusting?

.

Palmer House Motel Parking Lot

Ruby

The demon-ness was furious. Scratch that, there wasn't word to describe the emotion she was feeling right that second.

Ruby almost had him! Almost had that damn stubborn Sam Winchester back on track!

He was in! He was ready to get back on the blood drinking bandwagon to freeing Lucifer!

Then he pulled this bullshit:

Sam: Sorry. I can't.

What the hell does he mean, 'he can't?' It all hinges on him! Dean breaking had set everything in motion, now they need to make sure they got the other Apocalypse starting book end to this thing ready!

Ruby: What the hell Sam? Why the fuck did you change your mind?

Ruby stiffened as she remembered the conversation between Sam and that damn half-breed during the whole Anna Debacle a few weeks ago.

So maybe it wasn't Dean giving Sam the boost he needed to resist the call of the demon blood after all. But she still couldn't be certain.

Sam: Leave it alone Ruby.

Ruby scoffed at that text. Like hell she was and she told him so, but received no reply in return.

Ruby growled and quickly pulled out of the parking lot, tires screeching in protest.

She would spend the night fuming and devising a way to get Sam to come to her for a shot of some Grade A demon blood.

Perhaps if Dean or Maya was seriously injured on a hunt? Something that Sam could have prevented if his powers were up to snuff? Mainly the telepathy?

It would probably be especially devastating if the half-breed he saw as a little sister was hurt…or…almost killed.

With a plan forming Ruby now just needed to find the perfect Hunt.

A malicious grin split her face as she sped down the highway.

Dean may have the angels looking out for him, but she doubted Heaven gave a shit about the demi-Trickster.

Lilith might not like her risking the toy she really wanted, but they needed the Apocalypse to get back on track.

A shiver of fear ran down Ruby's back.

Lilith would not be happy.

.

Palmer House Motel

Middle of the Night

Dean startled awake from another nightmarish Hell memory. The first one he seemed to have in a while. Rubbing his face tiredly he turned his head to find Maya no longer cuddled into his side, except the small dog at the foot of the bed sitting up looking at him.

Puck—having been rudely awoken—stared back at Dean with complete unimpressed-ness. Dean offered a muttered and quiet apology, that he in no way completely meant. Puck huffed his displeasure, jumping off the bed then hopping up on the other bed.

Dean's eyes trailed to the other bed—following Puck—where a harsh light illuminated the dozing features of Sam and Maya, both sitting up and leaning against each other with the laptop settled between them. Dean rolled his eyes and got up, closing the laptop, and dousing the room back into darkness.

Puck settled down in his new spot on the new bed with a contented sigh, closer to his Mistress.

The scene had brought back memories for Dean of growing up on the road when him and Sam would stay up late watching late night movies on small crappy TV's and questionable motel couches, falling asleep sitting up and waking up with sore backs and stiff necks.

Sam woke up as he felt Dean gentle nudged him to lay back down, "Wha…Dean?"

"Heya Sammy," Dean said quietly with a smirk as he brought the blanket over Maya's shoulders, the little Trickster not even waking up a little as Dean readjusted her. "Good movie?"

Sam stretched a little, frowning as he felt the stiffness that had already settled in his neck, "Yeah, but I also found us a case not long after Maya zonk'd out."

Dean's interest was peaked and raised a curious eyebrow, "Yeah? Thought you were tired of the non-stop cases?"

"I know, I know," Sam rubbed his face with his hand. "But I really think we should check this one out."

Dean gave him a blank but tired stare, his nightmare still fresh in his addled mind, "Alright, what's the skinny?"

Sam scoffed at him, "'What's the skinny?' Dude, how old are you?"

"Bitch."

"Jerk," Sam replied with a tired smirk. "A girl is saying she was possessed when she bashed the head of her classmate against a bathroom mirror and then swirlied the girl to death. From the way the article described how she portrayed the incident we might be looking at possible demon possession."

"Uh huh, and we want to take the demi-Trickster being hunted by Lilith and her band of not-so-merry demons…towards a possible demon?" Dean asked with complete disbelief, his eyes flickering over to a peacefully dozing Maya.

Sam looked at her too, the short dark curls flying off in every direction giving off the vibe of a possibly epic case of bed head when she woke up in the morning.

"Why I said possible demon possession," Sam answered with a small shrug, not letting the selfish guilt rise into his face. He had another more personal reason for going to the school. "If we get a whiff of demon we get another Hunter on it and bail," he compromised reluctantly.

Dean frowned hard as he mulled it over in his sleep-deprived mind.

They could check it out. Might not even be a demon possession and the kid was just using it as an excuse not to get sent to juvie.

With a put upon sigh Dean agreed, "Fine. But the first sign of anything demonic we get Goldy out of there and have Bobby meet up with us or something to take her if we can't get another Hunter in time. I don't want her anywhere near one of those sons of bitches if we can help it."

"Yeah, okay," Sam agreed readily as he stood up and went to his bag to finally change out of his day clothes. Jeans weren't exactly the most comfortable thing to sleep in.

With his back turned Sam didn't see the shit-eating grin that split Dean's face as he said, "But you get to explain to Goldy why we're diving straight into another case in the morning."

Puck gave a quiet and huffed laugh at that, from his spot on Sam's bed curled up against Maya's side.

Dean watched as Sam's shoulders stiffened. Sam slowly turned around and bitch-faced so hard at Dean, that Dean barely had time to stifle his abrupt laughter.

Gee, wonder what Maya's reaction was going to be in the morning?

The answer?

Bitching of epic proportions.

Dean was greatly amused as he watched Sam try to sell the case to a tired and fed up little Trickster. Brought back memories of being in Sam's position and Sam being in Maya's.

Karma was a wonderful wonderful bitch.

But like Dean—on occasion—Maya crumpled quickly when hit with some powerful Sammy patented pleading puppy eyes of doom.

Seriously, those things are damn near lethal!

.

December 10 2008, Fairfax, Indiana, United States

Sam came out of the psychiatric ward dressed in white like one of the orderlies after talking to the girl who claimed she was possessed when she killed that other girl, headed towards the impala where Dean and Maya sat waiting. He looked in the window to find Maya leaning up against Dean while she read some random paperback book. Dean didn't seem to mind and was just bopping his head to a Journey song on one of many tapes their Dad owned.

He opened the door, "Hey." Dean and Maya looked up, Dean turned off the radio and Maya awkwardly flipped herself over the bench seat into the back, narrowly avoiding accidentally kicking Puck in the head in the process. Sam's lips quirked up in a brief smile at her, but he still felt a sense of worry.

Maya had been too quiet during the last couple days, usually plastering herself to him or Dean. Dean was a little annoyed having his personal bubble constantly invaded, but he understood. How much longer he'd remain understanding was yet to be seen.

After eyeing Maya—making sure she didn't scuff the seats—Dean turned to Sam, "So?"

"I think she's telling the truth. I mean the way she talked about being there mentally but not physically kind of sounds like demonic possession to me."

"Kind of?" Maya popped her head over the seat between them and looked quizzically at Sam.

"She didn't see any black smoke or smell sulfur," Sam admitted.

"Maybe it's not a demon," Dean suggested, looking around Maya's curly head at Sam. "I mean, kids can be vicious."

Maya's lips quirked in a small mischievous smirk, "I mean, I water ballooned the football at Gloversville High after a fag comment against Eli's Dads. They needed to show a little more pride."

Dean gave Maya an impressed and slightly worried look, "And you're still alive?"

Her grin fell slightly, "Had my Dad backing me up against the Principal who wanted to let them off with just a warning." She went quiet again and retreated fully into the back seat, getting worried glances from Sam and Dean.

"It's going to be alright Maya," Sam gave her a smile.

"Yeah Goldy, we got ya," Dean said back to her with a smirk. "Even if that asshole is MIA. Between me, Sam, and Bobby we've got your bases covered."

Maya gave them a wane smile, "Thanks." She looked over at Sam, going back to the original topic, "So, I'm guessing you want to check out the school?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "I mean since we're here."

"Right the school," Dean drawled out less enthused. "Truman High. Home of the Bombers."

Sam raised an eyebrow at him, "Your point?"

Dean shrugged, "I don't know. I mean, we went there, for like…a month a million years ago. Why are you so jazzed to go back?"

"I'm not," Sam shrugged and tripped over his words a little. "I just think it's worth looking into."

"All right, well, what's our cover? FBI? Homeland Security? Swedish exchange students?" Dean smirked at that last suggestion.

Sam smiled, "Don't worry. I got an idea."

Maya did not like his face and sent an open frown at Sam, "What are you planning?"

Sam turned to give her another smile, a glint in his eye that Maya could spot from a mile away.

She stiffened as her eyes went wide and guessed what Sam might be thinking, "No! I refuse! I did high school—"

Dean scoffed, "For what? Two months?"

He was ignored, "—and I am not a fan!"

"Maya," Sam said her name in that voice that parents used to chide children and get them to do what they want.

"No!" she vehemently protested, some of her spunk resurfacing. "I'm not doing it! You can't make me, Samuel Winchester!"

Sam and Dean gave her raised eyebrows, shared a look between each other, and then smirked conspiratorially at her, sending her even more on edge.

"Wanna bet?" Dean grinned; pretty sure he had witnessed her stomach drop behind the petulant and defiant glare she was throwing at him.

.

December 11 2008, Fairfax, Indiana, United States

Truman High

Morning

Maya moodily stepped out of the impala with Puck decked out in his medical aid vest and looked up at the bustling school Sam and Dean had gone to about a decade earlier.

Sam got her attention when he came up beside her by clapping a hand on her shoulder and smiled cheekily at her, "Ready for your first day, twerp?"

Maya gave him a baleful and unimpressed glare, "I hate you, asshole." With that she roughly shrugged off his hand and walked confidently through the throngs of students with Puck through the front doors to the school office to wait for Dean, or…substitute Coach Roth, as it were.

Her legal guardian.

Snicker.

Her ire and very recently developed resting angry bitch-face giving her an aura of imminent murder vibes, causing most students to get the fuck out of her way.

Sam shook his head at her as she stalked off, and then spotted the administrator he needed to talk to to start his undercover janitorial job. It was a good way to investigate the entire school without looking suspicious.

.

Gymnasium

2nd Period

Maya was lined up with some of the other students as Dean—sorry—Coach Roth walked in front of them like a drill sergeant…in bright red Bermuda shorts, a white t-shirt, a red sweat band around his head, and a whistle around his neck. While the other students watched him with a sense of nervousness, Maya watched him with unimpressed eyes and an incredulous face.

"Today, you will have the honor of playing one of the greatest games ever invented," Dean announced as he paced in front of them with hands behind his back. "A game of skill, agility, cunning. A game with one simple rule…" he bent over to pick up one of the bright red dodge balls on the floor, "…dodge."

Then the idiot whipped it at the boy at the end of the line only a couple feet away from him. He immediately realized his mistake when the young boy bent over in pain and apologized curtly, "Sorry."

"Wow," Maya drawled, arms crossed and with a raised eyebrow. "What skill, what cunning," she stated sarcastically, complete with eye roll.

"Take a lap!" Dean ordered pointing out towards the gym. "Now!" he asserted when Maya gave him a less than respectful look.

With a huff Maya started jogging, and silently mouthed 'oh my God' when Dean ordered her to make it two for her sass. Puck watched from the sidelines, contemplating where he could hide to avoid the rubber balls when they started flying.

"Uh, substitute Coach Roth…" one of the other boys in the line spoke up with a raise of his hand.

"Yes?" Dean walked over to him.

"Ms. Boudreaux never let us play dodge ball," the boy pointed out.

Dean tsk'd with a smile, "Well, Ms.B's in Massachusetts getting married, so we're playing."

"But she says it's dangerous!" the boy protested, jumping when Dean blew the whistle loudly.

"Take a lap!"

"But-"

Dean blew the whistle again and the poor boy started running with a slight whimper.

Maya was about to finish the second lap when the gym doors opened revealing Sam peaking his head in.

Seeing her look his way, Sam nodded at her, "Hey. How's gym class?"

"Dean's become a tyrant," Maya sighed as she stopped and turned to glare at Dean when he walked over after telling the class to go nuts.

Sam eyed Dean's outfit, "Having fun?"

Dean smiled, "The whistle makes me their God."

"Right," Sam scoffed. "Nice shorts."

"Don't forget the 80's sweat band,s" Maya's lips quirked in a teasing smirk.

Dean shifted a little self-consciously then asked Sam, "Find anything?"

Sam sighed, "I've been over the entire school twice. No sulfur."

"No sulfur, no demon. No demon, no case," Dean pointed out.

"And the sooner we can leave," Maya chirped with a happy smile.

"I don't know, maybe I was wrong," you could see Sam going over all the facts in his big head.

"Well it happens to the best of us," Dean shrugged. "I say we hit the road, huh? But after lunch, it's sloppy Joe day."

Sam and Maya flinched as the kid that questioned Dean was hit square in the face with a ball. As the poor kid ran by holding his face Maya eyed a another boy smirking and laughing with his friend over the other kid's pain.

"Good hustle, Colby! Walk it off!" Dean called after the boy, as he no doubt ran to the school nurse's office.

Maya turned to look at Dean, "Seriously?" She scoffed and rolled her eyes when she got only a shrug from him.

With purposeful steps Maya walked into the fray, dodging a ball then picking up one that rolled near her. She used it to deflect another ball then took aim at the asshole kid who no doubt aimed for Colby's face purposefully.

In the next moment the idiot was bent over in pain grasping something precious between his legs in pain.

"You're supposed to dodge, dumbass!" Maya yelled and quickly covered her head when his other remaining team members ganged up on her, getting her out. "Worth it!" she crowed as she sauntered towards the sidelines, taking a seat beside Puck who huddled by the ball rack.

Sam and Dean were looking at her in something akin to amused horror.

Maya sent them an innocent smile that then sent a prickle of fear down their spines.

"Cheap shot, Goldy!" Dean shouted at her, but keeping his distance. He was under no illusion that he'd be her next target if he weren't careful.

Maya's smile widened and became toothier as she innocently batted her eyelashes at him.

Sam leaned over to Dean's ear and chuckled unsympathetically, "Good luck, Dean."

Dean scowled at Sam's retreating back and muttered quietly, "Bitch."

.

Sam

Few minutes later…

Sam felt no pity for Dean as he left him in a gym full of rubber projectiles and a less than happy little Trickster grinning madly at him. As he walked down the hall he heard screaming coming from the Home Economics room as students fled, one with a teacher holding a towel around his hand.

The fabric becoming more and more blood stained.

Sam walked into the classroom to find a boy with blood splatter—no doubt responsible for injuring the other student—fall to the ground in a fainting spell. He rushed to help him as the boy quickly came to, asking what happened.

That's when Sam noticed something black and viscous ooze out of the boy's ear.

Ectoplasm.

.

December 12 2008, Fairfax, Indiana, Untied States

Truman High

Next morning…

While everyone, including a grumbly Maya, was in assembly Sam scanned the school with an EMF reader not getting anything. He turned when the doors behind him opened and Dean walked up to him in full on red sweater and sweatpants combo.

"How's the non-violence assembly going?" Sam asked as he turned the reader off.

"Apparently shoving a kid's arm into a Cuisinart is not a healthy display of anger. Or flipping some asshole on their back and stomping a foot right next to their face," Sam noticed one of Dean's eyes twitch in barely contained annoyance.

"I'm guessing Maya was the second one?" Sam sighed, because honestly that sounds like something she might do.

"Some asshole stupidly tried to get hands-y with her on the way to the assembly. Thankfully Goldy took care of it before I did," Dean smirked with no small amount of pride. "Hate to admit it though, but I kind of keep forgetting how capable she is," he added, his smirk turning into a frown. "Not to mention terrifying when she wants to be. I mean, the way she talked and smiled at the kid after she stomped her foot—I thought I was going to have to go all Batman vs Joker on her."

Sam huffed a small laugh, "I both kind of wish I was there to see it, but also glad I didn't. But, yeah. I'm guilty of forgetting how well she can handle her self too."

"Right, so the kid…had ectoplasm leaking out his ear?" Dean asked Sam as they walked down the hall, getting the conversation back on track.

"Yeah, which only comes from a seriously pissed off spirit. It's got to be ghost possession," Sam stated, it was the only thing that fit.

"Yeah, but that's pretty rare," Dean pointed out.

"Yeah," Sam agreed then added, "But it happens. I mean, they get angry enough, they can take control of a person's body."

Dean nodded his agreement to Sam's argument, "All right, so, what, we got a ghost in the building?"

"Yeah, but where? I mean, there's no EMF and Puck hasn't indicated anything about a ghost being nearby," Sam sighed then shrugged. "Maybe we could find out who it is, at least. You know, check and see if somebody died bloody around here or something?"

"Way ahead of you," Dean pulled out some papers from his red sweater. "I had to break into the Principal's office to get this. So, there was only one death on campus. It was a suicide back in '98. Some kid named Barry Cook."

At the kid's name Sam quickly took the papers out of Dean's hands to look at them him self.

"What?" Dean asked at Sam's reaction.

Sam sighed as the papers confirmed it, "I knew him." With another sad sigh he asked, "How'd he die?"

Dean was a little taken back as he answered, "He, uh, slit his wrist I the first-floor girls' bathroom."

Sam looked up, "That's where—"

"Right where the chick got swirlied to death. Exactly," Dean finished for him.

Dean looked around before asking, "So what? This ghost is possessing nerds?"

Sam gave a small nod, "And using them to go after bullies, yeah."

"Well, does that sound like Barry's M.O?"

"Barry had a hard time," Sam told him as he remembered all the bullying the poor kid went through…his dream of being a vet. "And it doesn't sound like him, but it's the only thing that fits."

As they walked further down the hall, Sam commented, "I'm actually surprised you didn't look up to see if any of the cheerleaders were legal."

There was a telling silence as Sam looked at Dean, unsurprised by his behavior, "You did, didn't you?"

"I started to," Dean shrugged awkwardly. "But then I remembered how close in age Goldy was, so, thanks for that," he grumped getting a strained smile and chuckle from Sam.

.

Farifax Memorial Park

Late that night…

Between the three of them it was quick work digging up the grave, even with alternating who dug and who kept a look out for the grounds keeper or any other late night visitors.

Dean's shovel hit wood, "All right Goldy, up and out."

Maya tossed her shovel over the edge of the hole and pulled her self out of the grave while Dean moved to the edge of the coffin before prying it open to the decayed corpse of Barry Cook. She grabbed the lighting fluid while Sam grabbed the salt and they both doused the body.

Maya grimaced the whole time at the sight of the dead boy's body. It was gross. The skin had long since turned a sickly dark brown and tight against the young boy's bones. Then the smell hit her. It was damp and…rotting.

She clenched her jaw to keep the bile that threatened to make an appearance down. Glancing at Sam and Dean she noticed how they didn't even flinch at the sight or the smell.

But Sam did look sad and troubled as Dean lit a pack of matches and set Barry's remains aflame.

The drive back to the motel was silent even when the rain started pouring down.

Maya was knocked out in the back, while Sam looked broodingly out the window and Dean looked worriedly over at him.

"You okay?" Dean asked his dour brother.

"Barry was my friend. I just burned his bones," Sam told him thickly.

"Well, he's at peace now, Sam," Dean offered.

"I mean, if Dad had let us stay just a little while longer, maybe I could have helped the kid, you know?"

"You heard the coroner's report, same as me," Dean pointed out glancing at Sam. "Barry was on every anxiety drug and antidepressant known to man. School was hell for that kid. His parents had split up. He just wanted out. It was tragic, but it's not your fault." Dean turned back to the road, "To tell you the truth, I hated that school."

Sam gave him a slightly puzzled look, not remembering Truman High being all that bad for Dean.

"It wasn't all bad."

Dean gave a cynical chuckle remembering how he found out some jerk ass kid was bullying his younger brother and Sam didn't fight back even though he could have. "How can you say that after what happened to you?"

Sam stayed silent as he shook his head, his mind taking its own trip down memory lane and the teacher that changed the course of his life.

Well, for a time anyways.

Unfortunately Azazel hadn't let him get away that easily.

A choice he made for himself that had gotten Jessica killed and dragged right back into the life he had tried to escape.

.

December 13 2008, Fairfax, Indiana, United States

Truman High School

Morning

Dean put the impala in park and turned to Sam with an incredulous expression, "We came back here so you could talk to a teacher?"

"I'm with Dean. I'm pretty sure school gives me hives, so can we just go?" Maya complained from the back, shifting as she eyed the building distrusting. Puck lounged in her lap comfortingly.

You would too if a student and teacher practically took over your mind, witches or not. That experience would sour the idea of going to school for anyone.

"He's a good guy," Sam told them. "Just give me a few minutes, okay?"

Maya huffed and Dean rolled his eyes muttering mockingly, "Well whatever. Go have your Robin William's 'O Captain! My Captain!' moment. Just make it quick."

It wasn't even 10mins later when Sam came rushing out of the building looking harried.

Dean rolled the window down, "Sam, what's wrong?"

"It wasn't Barry!" Sam exclaimed as he rushed to the window.

Maya looked at him alarmed when she saw some red spreading on his chest, "Sam, you're bleeding."

Dean looked back at her then at Sam noticing the small and slowly growing blood spot.

"I'm okay," Sam assured them. "But this ghost knew me. It possessed this girl and she stabbed me a little, but the ghost possessing her said my name. Knows I'm Sam Winchester."

"Shit!" Dean cursed harshly before ordering Sam to get in and quickly drove to a secluded underpass by some train tracks than ran over the nearby river.

Sam breathed heavily through the pain as he shrugged off his jacket, the light stab wound throbbing but thankfully had stopped bleeding. Maya was the first to the trunk and moving their stuff to get at the Hunter's first aid kid.

Sam gave her a thankful smile as he unbuttoned his light blue shirt enough to get at the wound and began cleaning it before securing it with some gauze Maya handed him.

Dean walked over with some 'Hunter's Helper', "Trust me. This will help." Sam took the bottle filled with golden whiskey with a groan. "That ghost is dead. I'm gonna rip its lungs out!" Dean yelled out angrily getting identical looks from Sam and Maya. He tilted his head at them in amendment, "You know what I mean."

"It knew my name, Dean. My real name," Sam said troubled while Dean pulled out the file on the students that were possessed. "We burned Barry's bones. What the hell?"

"Maybe we missed something?" Maya shrugged, trying to rack her brain over different ghost lore. She never heard of a spirit surviving a salt and burn, unless it was attached to something else but only usually happened if the body had been originally cremated.

"Yeah," Dean nodded as he scrutinized the list. "Like, maybe it wasn't Barry. We just got to go back," he flipped a page and noticed something. "No way," Dean groaned. "How did we not see this before?"

Dean walked over to Sam and Maya showing them the page and pointed at the bus they all ride, "Check it out. Look, Martha Dumptruck, Revenge of the Nerds, and Hello Kitty—they all ride the same bus."

"Okay, so maybe the bus is haunted," Sam suggested.

"But the bus has been in use all year, hasn't it?" Maya questioned with a frown as she wrapped up the leftover gauze. "Wouldn't there have been more incidences, or at least have started closer to the beginning of the year?"

Dean nodded his agreement with Maya, "It might explain no EMF at the school, but not the attacks. Ghosts are tied to the places that they haunt. They can't just bail to haunt another place."

Sam got a thoughtful look on his face, "Unless this one can." Dean scoffed at Sam while Maya looked contemplative. "Guys, there's lore about spirits possessing people and riding them for miles. Then whenever they leave the body, they're bungeed back to their usual haunt, but until then, the ghosts can go wherever they want."

"So a spook just grabs a kid on the bus and walks right into Truman?" Dean still looked a little skeptical.

"It's possible," Sam said looking up at Dean from his seat.

"We'll have to look for anything new in the last couple weeks involving that bus," Maya rubbed her face tiredly wanting this case to be over. Maybe then they'll get a breather from the non-stop cases. "New students, students who moved, hell maybe even a recent tune-up…" Maya watched Dean open the cooler to grab himself a beer. "Hey, Deeeeeaaaaan~" she called sweetly.

He didn't even look her way when he told her very curtly and firmly, "No!" Maya gave him a brief pout but didn't let it bother her too much. She was a bit curious about what beer tasted like, but she knew not to push it.

Apparently her birthday bender still wasn't too well received.

"Ghosts getting creative—" Dean grimaced as he twisted the top off. "Well, that's super," he finished sarcastically, taking a long swig of his beer.

.

Bus Yard (I don't know where they go during the day…)

That afternoon…

Sam had the EMF reader out scanning the bus getting heavy readings as the lights turned red and made an alarming electronic whirring sound, "Definitely ain't clean."

Dean was checking through the rows of seats with his sawed off and salt rounds at the ready. Deciding to be antagonistic he loudly tapped the metal roof with the gun and taunted it before being cut off by Puck running under his feet, "Here, ghosty, ghosty, ghosty! Come out, come out, wherever you—Whoa! Damn it rat!"

Puck ignored him as he scoured the bus for any sign of the ghost, and although he felt the spirit's presence it was laying low and he couldn't pin point it. He smelled plenty of human remains, but it was a bus. You couldn't sweep away every hair, fingernail, or dead skin cell. Hell, there was even chewing gum under some of the seats! So, with a whine to indicate disappointment he made a beeline back to Maya who stayed at the front of the bus to keep look out the driver's seat.

Sam watched the dog give up the search and return to Maya's side, he turned off the EMF reader, "Okay, so we've got a shit ton of EMF." Sam groaned and ran a hand through his long luscious hair, "But, man, I don't get it. No one ever died on this bus and it's not like you can hide a body anywhere on this thing."

Dean straightened up with a frown, "Yeah, but a flap of skin, a hair, I mean, hell, a hangnail, something's got to be tying the ghost to this place. We just got to find it."

Maya looked at the little alcove where the driver put their personal belongings with interest…and because she wanted to be a snoop.

"It's a bus, Dean," Maya called back as she took the stack of papers and paperback books out to flip through it. "There's human remains all over this thing, and you'd be trying to find just the one," she commented as she set aside the Bible and noticed the driver's permit. She read the name, looked at the picture, and then the issue date.

"Hey guys!" Maya yelled back. "I got a new driving permit up here. "Issued about two weeks ago," she handed over the green paper over to Dean and Sam for further inspection.

"Just before the first attack," Sam concluded, easily making the connection.

"Yeah, the name of the bus driver is Dirk McGregor Sr.," Dean read off the permit. "39 North Central Avenue."

Sam perked up at the name in surprised confusion, "McGregor?"

Dean and Maya looked at him curiously.

"Yeah, why?" Dean asked.

Sam frowned, "I knew his son."

Dean gave Sam a look of disbelief, "Did you know everybody at this school?"

Maya raised an eyebrow and huffed with a slight smirk, "Sounds like it."

.

Back roads of Fairfax, Indiana

That evening…

They had learned how Dirk Jr. was bullied in school and full of rage after having watched his mother wither and die slowly from cancer. Dirk had overdosed on drugs at 18 and was cremated.

Except for a lock of hair that his father kept in a Bible in his bus.

The one Maya had had in her hand.

That little fact frustrated her to no end.

But the fact that the bus had been taken that afternoon after they left for a competition for the Boys' Wrestling Team had them all frustrated. It took some quick digging and some sneaky borrowing from the police station to get ready for that evening.

The early winter night fell on the darkened road the bus would drive down. They double checked to make sure so in other words they found the bus and sped as fast as they could ahead of it and laid down the spike strip.

Hiding in the darkened ditch along the side of the road in wait.

They didn't have to wait long before the big yellow bus to come speeding down the road—a bit too fast for such a large vehicle carrying so many kids. Loud pops were heard as the heavy-duty spike strip punctured holes in larges tires, the rapidly flattening tires screeching as they swerved on the road.

The bus came to a screeching halt just on the side of the road, no one the worse for wear.

Sam and Dean got up from the frosted grass and quickly and silently approached the bus with some salt-water drenched rope and their Sam's sawed off. Maya followed silently behind with Dean's sawed off, extra salt rounds, and an iron crowbar tucked securely in her jacket, just in case.

Puck followed tensely at Maya's heels, briefly wondering if Hunting will just be a phase. That one day she'll wake up and decide to go back to just tricking people and doling out just desserts…in her own way of course.

Puck did a little doggy like frown that none of the bipeds saw.

Not likely.

Dean went around the back of bus with the rope and Maya, while Sam went around the front to get Dirk's attention.

Sam waited as a middle aged, bald, white man in a navy blue jacket stepped off the bus to look around, but not at the tires. He looked out into the woods that surrounded the road instead, not even sparing a glance at the sorry state of their ride.

It was as good an indication as any that Dirk was more than likely possessing him.

Sam rounded the front of the bus completely, stopping at the open doors. "Dirk!" Sam called out as he cocked his sawed off and aimed.

The possessed man turned around and smiled, "Winchester. What are you gonna do, shoot me?"

Sam watched as Dean carefully snuck up behind the confirmed Dirk, Maya at the ready with Dean's sawed off, "Don't need to." Dean quickly jumped Dirk, wrapping the salt soaked rope around him. "That rope is soaked in salt-water, Dirk," Sam informed him. "You're not going anywhere."

Once secured, Dean made a beeline for the bus door and told the students and teacher to stay put. When the teacher questioned him being the P.E. teacher Dean told them he wasn't really and he was more like 21 Jump Street.

That still got him a bunch of confused looks.

So he lied and said, "The bus driver sells pot." He didn't bother seeing what response he got as he went to the driver's cubby and began looking for the Bible. Finding it he flipped through its pages and even shook it a little, but nothing.

"It's not here!" Dean yelled out for Sam and Maya to here him.

Maya turned to Puck and quietly murmured, "Can you sniff it out?" Puck cocked his head up at her and thought about it. He looked back at the possessed man as Sam demanded the spirit to tell him where he hid the lock of hair.

Well it was in the Bible belonging to the ghost's father…probably had some lingering smell from him. Puck quickly ran to the bus, neither the ghost nor Sam paid him much attention.

"No way you'll ever find it," Dirk taunted, as Dean stepped down from the bus, narrowly missing Puck run up the steps and getting a good whiff of Dirk Sr.

Sam grabbed Dirk by the possessed man's shirt and roughly pushed him up against the bus and demanded again, "Where is it?!"

"Sam Winchester. Still a bully," Dirk wasn't the least bit perturbed or frightened of the display. "You, you jocks…you popular kids…you always thought you were better than everybody else. And to you, I was just Dirk the Jerk, right? Now you evil sons of bitches are gonna get what's coming to you."

"I'm not evil, Dirk," Sam released his hold on him. "I'm not. And neither were you. Trust me. I've seen real evil. We were scared and miserable, and we took it out on each other—us and everybody else. That's high school. But you suffer through that, and it gets better. I'm just sorry you didn't get a chance to see that…you or Barry."

Puck jumped off the bus and began sniffing the ground. Dean sent the little dog a side-glance; Maya kept her eyes on both Dirk and Puck.

"Nothing is gonna get better for me. Not ever!" Dirk roared at Sam's sympathetic gaze and broke the salt drenched rope.

A testament to how pissed off this ghost was, either in general or at Sam.

Probably Sam.

Dirk went to attack him but instead got two loads of salt rounds in the possessed man's chest. When the man fell to the ground unconscious, Dirk bounced back to the bus.

And into another body.

The body of a large and very muscled teenage boy that ran past Dean and body slammed into Sam from behind sending them both to the ground.

"Sam!" Maya shouted in fear as she watched the now red adorned track suited Dirk roll Sam over and begin punching his face. She raised her sawed off and fired one shot into Dirk's chest while Dean fired off two into his back, but to no real effect.

Yeah, this spirit really hated Sam.

Puck had eyed the two on the ground and quickly went back to sniffing and picked up the scent he was looking for…coming from the driver's right shoe!

"Find the hair!" Sam grunted out at them as he struggled against the assault.

Puck took that as his cue and barked loudly at the shoe getting Dean and Maya's attention. As Dean rushed over, Puck quickly got out of the way as Dean removed the shoe, shaking it until the lock of hair fell out.

In seconds it was over as the hair went up in flames and Dirk left the boy's body, his black tormented soul going up in flames and cinders.

The now unconscious student fell limp and heavily on a beaten up Sam, squishing him.

"A little help?" Sam called in a strained voice, his chest being compressed by the large student.

Dean looked over and grimaced in disgust at the sight of the large student pretty much sleeping on top of his brother, "Ew. He's giving you the full cowgirl."

Maya snorted a laugh at Sam's predicament, feeling some karma for Sam dragging them out here right after their last case.

Sam groans, not amused since he was slowly being crushed to death.

.

December 14 2008, Macon, Missouri, United States

America's Best Value Inn & Suites

That night…

After Sam's 'O Captain! My Captain!' moment they made a quick escape out of town before anyone looked too closely at the 21 Jump Street substitute gym coach, new janitor, and new student.

You could be certain that those boys didn't keep quiet about what happed the previous night.

Sam casually browsed the Internet looking for any signs of any possible seals—not purposefully looking for demon omens or Lilith—while Maya, Dean, and Puck lounged on a queen bed watching some cheesy B-rated horror flick you only ever find late at night.

Dean shifted at having his personal space invaded once more by the little Trickster snuggled into his side and clung like a limpet. A part of him wanted to bark at her to man up, but then the mental image of her sad Sam worthy butt-hurt face would pop up and he'd lose steam. She wasn't raised like him and Sam, not exactly.

Sure there was the constant moving, not staying around long enough for friends, or getting a steady education; and being exposed to the dangerous side of the world that most people only thought were fiction and stuff of legends, fairytales, and nightmares.

But she never had to fully rely on herself, and it was obvious that she was never discouraged from showing her feelings. Be they happy, sad, angry, or scared.

Maya wasn't…hard like him and Sam. Well, mostly him.

Even now with everything going on, all his memories from Hell swimming around in his brain; Dean didn't soften. He didn't let himself crack or crumble, to just let himself feel scared and terrified and hurt from what he'd gone through.

He couldn't, so maybe that's why he found so much tolerance and patience for Maya's clinginess. A little reminder of what he kept doing all this for.

Dean wrapped an arm casually around her shoulders, feeling her snuggle more firmly into his side with a content and happy sigh that brought him his own small smile of happiness on his face.

Then there was a knock at their door and Dean—without looking—handed Maya some cash for the pizza they ordered before removing his arm. Maya gave a small stretch and opened the door, her eyes flying open in surprise.

It was not the pizza.

Her surprise quickly turned into an ugly expression of contempt as she slammed the door on whoever was on the other side.

Sam and Dean from their respective spots reared their heads back in shock at the outburst and watched her grumpily return to Dean's side.

"Uh—" Dean was about to ask what the hell when a familiar muffled voice sounded on the other side of the door.

"Really, half-breed?" came Ruby's muffled voice. "And after I booked it here to tell you guys of a seal breaking," Sam had hurriedly rushed to the door and opened it for the beat up she-demon. She looked like she went a round with Muhamad Ali.

But before Sam could properly greet her and ask what was going on, Maya beat him to it.

"BE GOOOOOOONE SATAAAAAAAAN!" Maya bellowed comically at Ruby making Dean choke on a little on the laugh that tried to escape.

Sam clenched his jaw to keep the smile from turning the corners of his lips. It took a lot of effort.

Ruby glowered at her and the growling dog at the foot of Dean's bed.

"What do you want Ruby?" Dean demanded as he got up from the bed crossing his arms.

"I've got info on a seal about to break in the next couple of days not far from here," Ruby informed them as blood dripped down a gash on the side of her head.

"Yeah?" Sam looked curious. "What's the seal?"

"Blood drainings. Lots of them. Autopsies showed their throats torn out and bodies completely drained of blood," Ruby took some printed out photos of her pocket.

Sam took the photos and looked through them with a frown, "How is this a seal? They'd have been going about their business even before Dean went to Hell."

Ruby cracked her neck with a jerk of her head; "They never went after a sucker a night for the last two months and drained them dry at midnight. Pretty sure it's a nest on a binge streak. Or the Hungry Hungry Hippo of vampires."

"How come we haven't heard of this then?" Dean asked as he expertly looked through the photos. Definitely looked like a vamp. "It's pretty ballsy of the bloodsuckers to take a vic a night."

"Been moving around all over the place randomly and they never took the same type of victim twice," Ruby shrugged and looked at them seriously. "But if we don't leave now, all the tracking and double backing I've done the last couple weeks would've been a waste. They've probably already scoped out and nabbed their next victim."

Sam shot Ruby a harsh look, "Wait, a couple of weeks?"

"What?" Ruby gave Sam a confused eyebrow raise before over exaggerated understanding overtook her features. "Oh, you're mad I didn't tell you about what I was doing when I dropped by in Sioux City. Well I was still working over an…informant on how they were deciding which city or town to hit and where they liked to shack up for their midnight snack."

Maya blinked in surprise at what Ruby revealed, but not at the vampire information, "You two…met up during that death switcheroo-ing fiasco?"

Dean sent Sam a hard look for not being told about his little rendezvous with the demon.

Sam's shoulders stiffened and bit back defensively, "She was telling me how many seals had already fallen, guys. It was more than half. Probably a couple more now since then."

"Exactly!" Ruby exclaimed impatiently with carefully masked smugness at seeing the distrust brewing between them. "That's why we should leave now if we have a chance at stopping another seal from breaking and being one step closer to Hell on Earth. And believe me, that's not an exaggeration."

Maya sent a glare at the demon, but one look at Sam and Dean and she knew they'd be scrambling in about a minute, maybe less.

Maya cursed as she grabbed her backpack before following behind a rushing Sam and Dean, "Vampires. Why'd it have to be vampires?"

.

Random Abandoned Warehouse

Few hours later…

It wasn't vampires. There wasn't a single bloodsucker to be had.

Instead they had a small (read: 3) contingent of black-eyed sons of bitches.

Dean had finished off his demon with the knife and quickly plunged it into the demon Sam was trying to fend off. The skeleton lit up, signifying another son of a bitch killed. They turned to see Puck leap at the escaping black smoke of the demon that had tried to run after Maya and the would be victim, sinking glowing teeth into its center mass and tearing it to shreds.

"A little help!" Ruby shouted angrily at them as she punched the demon she was facing in the face with a snarl.

Neither Puck nor Dean lifted a finger, but they did let Sam take the knife and stab the offending demon.

The one that was not Ruby. Just to be clear.

With that done, Sam turned to Dean, "Think Maya got the guy to the car okay?" Puck didn't wait for Dean's answer and loped away in the direction his Mistress went.

She'd been out of his sight for two whole minutes! Too long! Too long!

"Yeah, she's fine. It was just the three of them. Right?" Dean looked pointedly and angrily at an even more beat up Ruby. "And what the hell happened to them being vampires? We're tying to keep Goldy away from demons, not hand deliver her!"

Ruby rolled her eyes, "Geez, sorry, for not thinking that these bastards were demons when everything else said vampire. But yeah, Dean. It was only the–"

A quick feminine shout tore through the night air accompanied by loud vicious snarling, before being abruptly cut off.

Sam and Dean felt their hearts drop as they sprinted in Maya's direction yelling her name in fear.

"MAYA!"

AN: Behold! Another 24-25,000 word monstrosity as recompense for not updating last month. My aunt loved the blanket and it didn't take as long as previously thought, but since I said possible update in the New Year…I decided to power through three episodes!

Which puts this story at over 400,000 words!

But I have left you with a cliffhanger after such a long wait. Mwauahaha! No regrets! It wasn't going to be demons, but actual vampires, but it just didn't fit with the whole Ruby plotting against Maya thing. And before people ask about Lilith…Lilith wasn't very happy at the possibility of losing the toy she's had her eye on. But Apocalypse and raising Lucifer comes first!

So sorry, but not really.

I guess the chapter with Maya and vampires will have to be another time. They just can't get enough of her once they get a whiff of her blood.

Right! Review answering time!

YaoiLovinKitsune: You have hit the nail on the head of the whole reason I started this story. The blowout when she finds out what she is. Identity crisis, self-hatred and disgust, titanic amount of betrayal towards her Dad. It's all coming! But much later! As for her understanding…it'll be a long road.

Xenocanaan: Yes, just a little bit. I always viewed Pam as someone more attuned to energies than emotions like Missouri was. Sure Missouri picked up on Maya's unconscious gift, but Pam could sense something a little deeper. I liked Pam, and I hope that I can save her, but no promises.

Lionheart Pride: I hope you were just as happy with this update given the long wait! I'm so glad you love me story and you think my OC is awesome. I'm pretty partial to her myself. And believe me, I'm looking forward to writing that chapter when she discovers her angel heritage. But there's one more truth to reveal before Lucifer surfaces that will be just as hard given what will either follow or happen before.

Lolxxx: Be my guest! I love that headcannon too. I honestly came up with it from some Facebook post about dogs being angels sent by God to be our loyal and loving companions, but we don't know about it because the little shits ate the note He gave them, lol.

And yes, yes, be happy he's being resistant! He did it again this chapter too! It was close but he did it! But I'm sorry to say in this regard you may not like the chapter(s) to follow.

Yeah, her abilities did come in in a clutch, but I also wanted to leave little tidbits for the others to look back upon when the truth comes to light and be like, 'supporting evidence!' And believe me, I've said it before and I'll say it however many times because it gives me evil feels, that when we get to that chapter of that specific reveal it's going to be big bombshell for her and it will not be pretty!

Vrskaandrea: I'd like to think Maya learned that too. I'm still mentally working through the next chapter(s), which might include slightly more human Castiel towards Maya, but no promises. I think it's still a little too early for that. Need the conflict!

Guest: Thank you! Hoped you loved this one as well!

Tsukiko K: No she doesn't know yet. You'd probably remember the epic blowout and anguish at the reveal if she did. And she will. Oh, she will, but not for a good long while.