A/N: Howdy dear readers. LauWhisperer here. MarionLuth and I have something a bit different for y'all today. Yes, it's yet another chapter in our Supernatural fanfic WTWTA. But this is where it gets interesting..

Just as the show's episodes sometimes depicted Sam and Dean hooking up with women, as men are want to do, we have this occurring in one of chapter 18's scenes as well. They are only flesh and blood folks. If you like this sort of stuff, as we do, we think you'll enjoy this scene very, very much.

Chapter 18's Rating is upgraded to MA. Mature Audiences ONLY and Explicit.

You've been warned.

NOTE: For those of you who wouldn't like to read that particular scene, it's clearly

separated from start to finish, so that you can easily scroll past it without missing any other part of the story.

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Chapter 18

Take A Walk On The Wild Side

Title Credit: Lyrics from the song "Walk on the Wild Side", by Lou Reed (Album: Transformer, 1972)

"I'm sorry honey, I have to go," was all that was getting through to Amber.

Still strapping on her holster and gun, Jody did up the buckle, then zipped up her hardweather coat. Amber was being gently rocked awake out of her deep sleep. "Amber, honey, wake up."

Drifting to consciousness, Amber still wasn't sure where she was and who was speaking.

"Wake up, Amber…I've left you some money for today."

Opening her eyes...it was still dark in the guest room...and in a rush of details...it all came back to her. She was at Jody's without her brothers. Jody was speaking to her.

"W… What money?" In silhouette against the tiny strip of hallway light in the background, Amber could see that Jody was dressed in her uniform. It all felt so out-of-context. "Where are you going?" Amber managed to mumble, her brain struggling to cooperate with her mouth to form speech.

"It's a work emergency and I have to go. I should be back by mid afternoon, so you and the girls won't be on your own tonight. I'll call you later." Giving Amber a kiss on her head, Jody looked down at the shadowed darkness on the pillow, which was Amber. This was not how Jody had envisioned holding up her end of the bargain, to watch over Amber, while she was here. Backing away and easing herself towards the slit of light outlining the bedroom door, Jody continued her instruction.

"Claire was planning on taking you around town. Alex may not be available until tonight or tomorrow. She's getting some intern hours at the hospital. I'll call all of you when I get the chance. Just be good. OK?"

Jody sounded sweet, but stressed. Having to be in two places at once, and putting one's private life on hold, this was the commitment of all first responders. Having to choose the greater need was a professional conundrum.

Sitting up, and mostly awake, Amber was getting up to speed. "Huh...yeah,...we..we'll be fine. OK Jody, we'll see you later." Not knowing what was pulling the sheriff away Amber added, "Be safe, Jody." It was an added thought that Jody was going into danger and then it struck her...Jody went into danger everyday of her life.

The illuminated light around the door grew wider, casting an arc of light into Amber's room and across her face, momentarily blinding her as the hallway light splashed across her eyes. Wincing at this, Amber reflexively shut her eyes in pain. And just as quickly the door was shut, returning the room to pitch black quiet. It felt cool and soothing. Glancing at her charging cell phone Amber read the fluorescent green numbers: 4:23 am.

Through the walls Amber heard Jody entering the room down the hall, Claire's room. She could hear muffled speech. The cadence was similar to what she'd just heard from Jody and she assumed it was essentially the same message. When she heard a higher-pitched voice returning equally muffled speech, she could tell Claire was asking questions and the tone of Jody's reply, as incoherent as the words were, sounded impatient.

Then Amber heard Claire's door close with steps leading down the hallway, down the stairs, and into the living room. She heard the front door open and close. Then all was silent. Amber laid awake with the warmth of the blankets pulled up around her ears and head, breathing in the chilly air of the room...imagining Jody going out in the freezing cold darkness. It made her realize that Jody's job was very similar to how Sam and Dean lived their lives ...sometimes suddenly pulled into situations with no warning. No wonder the hunting life was an easy adoption for Jody...more of the same.

Drifting into these thoughts, Amber realized she wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep. Laying there, she let another 40 minutes go by before deciding to get up. Coffee was needed. She disconnected her phone from its charger and pocketed it in her robe, before slipping into the fuzzy slippers Jody had lent her. She then shuffled out of the room and down the stairs. Her face wincing slightly as she flipped on the kitchen light, she walked quickly to the cupboard where Jody kept the coffee. As she went through the process of preparing the first pot for the day she caught herself smiling at the fact that Sam wasn't there to nag her and make her drink milk or juice before she had any caffeine.

Sitting herself on one of the stools of the kitchen island she simply watched the brown streams of coffee slowly filling the pot. The gurgling sound of the machine, along with the strong aroma that filled the kitchen, brought a smile of pleasant satisfaction to her face. It might be too early to get up while on vacation, but at least she was at Jody's, away from the constant worry of her brothers and enjoying some moments of precious solitude. Something she rarely had the chance to enjoy anymore.

Grabbing a mug from the cupboard, Amber filled it up. Embracing it with both hands, she felt the heat of the hot coffee penetrate through the ceramic cup and into her cold hands. The aroma was earthy, acidic, and full. It really was like smelling the soil. Taking her first sip...she heard someone else coming down the stairs. A few seconds later, Claire, a mess of blonde strands, drug herself into the kitchen and managed to reach the coffee-maker. Upon reaching the coffee, she let out a massive yawn. Still yawning, eyes involuntarily closed, she was blindly reaching for a mug on the shelf, spatial memory kicking in. Then, grabbing the handle on the glass pot, she managed to fill her cup with the fresh-brewed coffee without spilling any. Still silent, she turned around and joined Amber, sitting on the stool next to her, practically sprawling herself on the island's surface, face supported by her palm, nose positioned near the steam rising from the cup.

Amber watched amused as the girl inhaled the aromatic steam, before taking a small sip. She wasn't surprised that Claire was not a morning person. In fact she'd bet on it. But experiencing it first hand was more than amusing.

"You're up early," Amber finally said, keeping her voice quiet.

"Thanks to Jody," Claire groaned, her voice still a bit hoarse from sleep. "God forbid she told Alex instead of me! Ugh!"

"She didn't?" Amber asked surprised. She had a hard time believing that Jody would leave the house so unexpectedly without saying goodbye to everyone in it.

"No… Stupid hospital internship. Alex works there on weekends, so she's not to be bothered," Claire said almost bitterly.

"So… Does this happen often? Jody leaving like this?"

Claire shrugged, taking another sip from her coffee. "Not too often. But shit happens around here. It definitely happens more often than hunts. I don't think Jody needed to go on a hunt in more than six months now… Kinda makes you wonder… Who's worse, monsters or humans?"

Taking another sip, Claire was looking down thinking about the last time there was a hunt Jody was involved in. Letting her mind wonder she began reflecting on when she'd get another chance to go on her own next hunt. And of course, Claire's latent frustration spilled over into her past interrupted attempts. Damn! She needed a case soon. Keeping up her skills was important or she'd get rusty.

"When was the last hunt you went on?" was Claire's casual inquiry. Shifting her eyes up to Amber's face she watched her words' effect on her houseguest's expression. Amber's face was surprisingly neutral.

"Hunting backup or actual hunting?" was Amber's measured reply. She was gaining in hunting experience even if some of it was remotely.

"What do you mean hunting backup?" Claire snorted.. Her tone held a bit of contempt in it. In her mind there was only hands-on hunting. Even as her own studies in Anthropology advanced her skills, she didn't consider any of the academic preparation actual hunting...and in truth it wasn't.

Claire's condescending reply had Amber immediately playing defensive. She'd been grounded for the past two weeks. Her hunting back up on the rugaru case was the closest she'd gotten to hunting recently and it was a straightforward case, too. Not a whole lot of learning involved. Not knowing if she wished to answer this, she measured her options.

Looking off to the side Amber considered what she'd learned in writing her first academic paper. Enochian Geometry for Summoning Angels should impress Claire and she could talk about how it could be used in what they did. Shit! It struck Amber, Claire wouldn't be impressed by anything about angels. Definitely not about summoning them. She didn't seem to do magic spells the way Sam did. Amber would bet that the reason for this was Claire probably didn't know how to. But this case of magic was definitely not the kind to invoke the blonde's admiration or even acknowledgement. How could she come off as cool and still represent her real learning? She liked Claire, but she sure had a way of cutting down one's ego.

"Well, I haven't been on any actual hunts recently. I've been grounded." There, she'd just tell the truth. It surprised her, too, to hear herself fessing up to this.

Elbows on the counter, hands supporting her face, Claire's eyes opened wide. "Damn! Dean must be a hard ass to live with," was Claire's only response, her eyes thoughtful.

Averting her eyes, Amber contemplated how to respond. She might as well keep on with the truthfulness train. "Well, it was actually Sam who grounded me," was Amber's quiet response. And this was enough on the subject. She didn't wish to go into any more detail.

However, Claire didn't like being teased. Once a door was cracked opened she liked to kick it in. "Sam? Sam grounded you? Why would he do this? Dean's your dad!" Claire's tone was agitated confusion.

Cursing silently in her head, Amber wondered how she could stop this line of inquiry. Wishing she'd never said a thing, Amber flushed and looked sideways, clearly uncomfortable with this. Blaming her early-morning grogginess, she paused long enough to review what their official relationships were supposed to be. Amber was struggling to come up with a solution to turn the conversation to another topic. As she was quietly questing about in her mind, she remembered a Sam trick. 'Ask for what you want.'

"Sam's kind of like another father, sort of. He's nicer than Dean, that's for sure!"

Watching Claire's face register a bit of confusion, she kind of understood why. Amber didn't know much about real families, but she figured that a father was usually more involved in his kid's life than an uncle was. Certainly where discipline was concerned. But she wanted to stop this questioning right there. "Claire, I don't want to talk about this anymore, 'K?"

Still resting her head on her palms, Claire eyed Amber and simply stated, "Yeah, I'd bet Sam would be easier to deal with than Dean. That asshat would be a real pain to live with."

Amber, surprising herself, felt a bit of defensiveness towards Dean was totally unexpected. Not knowing what else to say about this, she decided not to say anything at all and just let this topic pass on.

Claire had clearly other ideas. "So, what'd you do?"

Her body stiffening in a defensive mode, Amber felt her mind freeze up. She hadn't anticipated her request to 'drop this' not being honored. "Claaaire," was her resulting embarrassed whine, her eyes narrowing in a pensive expression. This was becoming embarrassing. "Just drop it."

"I'm just asking, 'cause I'd have thought Dean would've been the hard ass type. You know, 'It's my way or the highway' kind of attitude. I'm just surprised Sam gets a say at all. I mean, you're Dean's daughter, right?"

Wouldn't Claire just let this drop! "I don't want to talk about this, alright?" Amber's firmer tone, becoming impatient and curt now. She was not one to be easily cornered with questions. She sure as hell wasn't letting Claire pry anything out of her she didn't want to share.

Usually, Claire would've just kept pushing buttons, but she liked Amber, so she let it drop...almost. "I've never been really grounded, although Jody has tried. She gets really upset with me hunting alone. So, I just sneak out and make sure she doesn't find out. This way she doesn't have to worry. Also, it's just easier."

With the conversation's focus finally turning away from her, Amber couldn't help herself and simply commented, "God! If I ever did that, I'd be in so much trouble." Her face involuntarily flushed and her eyes looked away, clouded and concerned. Despite wishing to drop this cringy subject, she couldn't help but shiver thinking about this scenario.

Claire noticed Amber's full-body response, shiver and all. Amber's eyebrows lowered over wary eyes. She contemplated shutting up. But who was she kidding? "So, bigger trouble than being grounded?"

Flashing an angry look at Claire, Amber's tight-lipped look became an answer of its own, stopping this conversation. Amber couldn't believe how much this girl pushed things.

"Ok! Ok...I get it," was all Claire said, leaning back on her stool, hands held up in front of herself in a gesture of 'got it - backing down'. And Claire did get it. She suspected Dean was the hands-on type of dad and she wanted no part of this. Dean had come pretty close to intervening once when he'd found her and stopped her hunting.

Physically dragging her back to the Impala, she'd kicked him in the kidney. Ending up over his shoulder, she felt he was about to hand her her ass, but he seemed to have decided something and it never happened. When Dean eventually delivered her back home, Jody had been none too happy with her. However, she'd gotten the feeling that, had Dean done something...Jody would've been upset, but not too upset. After that, Jody had watched her like a hawk for months and months. It had been nearly impossible to get away for a hunt after that. But she was still looking and researching, she just made sure not to advertise it to anyone.

Claire watched Amber, her face still looking annoyed, and considered how she could go about cheering her up and lighten the atmosphere. "So… I'd normally suggest curling up on the sofa under a million blankets and watching something stupid till it lulls us back to sleep… But considering you were cooped up for a while, and it technically being morning, how about we go for a ride around the town. It's too chilly to walk around, but driving would be fun."

"Didn't Jody take the car?" Amber asked contemplating the proposal. On one hand she loved the idea of driving around with Claire, listening to music and watching the town waking up… On the other hand she was pretty sure neither Jody nor her brothers would find a car ride so early in the day as keeping herself out of risky situations.

"She took the police car. We still have her SUV," Claire answered casually.

"And won't Alex need it to get to the hospital later?" Amber asked again, her brain still racing to reach a decision.

"Nope. She rides with some friends of hers. They pick her up on their way there," Claire answered again, keeping her voice neutral. She could see Amber had a tough time deciding, but she doubted her calling the other girl out on this would be of any help. Right now all she wanted was to have some fun. And maybe, just maybe, cheer Amber up a bit.

"It's early in the morning. We're not even breaking curfew. We'll just have a quick drive around town and we could even grab some breakfast on the way back. We'll listen to some music… it'll be fun. Really low key Thelma and Louise action."

Cracking a smile and biting her lip Amber let out a soft sigh before nodding.

"Let's get dressed!"

W ꧂꧁ T ꧂꧁ W ꧂꧁ T ꧂꧁ A

"Told you they have the best coffee," was Claire's mildly smug reponse. Amber blew on her coffee as she sat holding it in her hands, enjoying the warmth that was seeping into her fingers. Looking around the diner, there were quite a number of people enjoying the early morning. It surprised Amber as she had never been much of a morning person. This entire at-the-crack-of-dawn crowd, was unknown to her.

Sipping her own coffee, Claire stole a glance around the diner. Amber recognized the hunter's sweep, this stealthy attention to movement and behavior, that every hunter she had ever met seemed to have acquired. Following Claire's example, Amber found herself peering around, too, even as she wasn't sure what exactly she was looking for.

Just then the waitress brought the breakfast order for a neighboring table. The smells circulating around them were a bit nauseating to Amber. She wasn't a heavy eater in the morning. The smell of bacon, sausage and cheesy omelettes was rather overpowering. She kept her nose in her coffee cup and this helped in fending off these grease-laden odors.

"I guess they had a long night at the tavern," Claire said in a quiet tone, her head discreetly pointing to the middle-aged man that Amber immediately recognised as the bouncer from the previous night. Amber wondered what could have possibly happened after they left. The man, still in the same clothes that he was in the night before, looked pissed. As the two girls stared at him from their seats, he whipped his head to their direction, catching their gazes. Amber and Claire averted their eyes but both noticed that the man's expression grew even grimmer upon noticing them. Amber's brain jumped to the previous evening's events, remembering the weird challenging glances exchanged between this man and Kyle. She felt her stomach clenching uncomfortably in this memory, but she couldn't quite understand why.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the front door of the diner opened and the quaint jingle of bells made her turn her head to see who had entered. In came the bass guitarist from the band at the tavern. Amber immediately recognized him and instantly remembered his invitation. The darkness of the early morning was fading to the grey of dawn. Dark contrasting starkly with the brilliant lighting of the diner almost anointed this man with backlighting, and for a split second a trick of the light made him look like he had the corona of a saint.

"Mark!" Amber called and waved a hand to catch his attention.

The man turned to look in the direction of his name being called. After a couple of seconds he smiled widely as he made his way to the girls' table.

"Good morning, birthday girl! Claire," he said, inclining his head towards Amber, then a nod to the blonde.

"Are the rest of the tavern's staff joining us?" Claire asked with a smirk. "You have your meetings here or what?" At Mark's confused expression she nodded to the bouncer's direction. "Grumpy's here, too."

Mark looked in the indicated direction and shrugged. "All I know is Ed closed less than an hour ago. Our drummer was one of the last to leave. I met him while I was running."

"You went running?" Amber asked surprised.

"Helps with the hangover," the young man said with a wink. "What are you guys doing out and about this early?"

"Oh, had an early morning wake up call and couldn't get back to sleep. It beats laying awake feeling like shit."

Mark looked momentarily askance at Claire, but he seemed to shrug it off. He knew Claire and she was crass. Turning to Amber, he said, "So, are you going to come sing with us?"

Claire's ears perked up at this. Amber, not knowing how much Claire knew about her strong instructions to lay low, eyed her uneasily. Claire just looked back at her, clearly interested to see where this conversation was going.

At Amber's clear hesitation to offer an immediate answer, Claire turned back to the man. "Hey Mark, grab a seat. You can sit with us." The bass guitarist eyed the waitress, raising his hand in a friendly gesture, he let her know he wanted his usual breakfast and took a seat with the girls. Within less than a minute the waitress brought over another cup of coffee, sitting it in front of him. Looking at the waitress, Mark smiled and winked, earning a warm smile in return. Scooting into the booth, Mark got comfortable. He was casually seated next to Claire so he could continue his conversation across from Amber.

After the end of their performance, the band did nothing but talk about this amazing girl. They'd been blown away by her. At the end of the night, with the drink flowing, they'd kept talking about how much they would love to add her to their band. What a voice and presence she had! Her beauty alone was a crowd pleaser.

The keyboardist had reminded them that the two grown men with her seemed none too happy by her being up there. They didn't look like guys they wanted to mess with. "Her daddy would skin you alive Randy. Best keep it in your pants this time."

Taking a big gulp of her own drink, she'd poked fun at these bawdy guys. She'd gone to school with all of them and had a history with two. This had been her joke to her bandmates, but was a real message to address a real repercussion.

Still at the door, the bouncer had been listening through all of this as the band joked around with teasing banter.

The bouncer had remained sitting at the stool near the front door until after 3 am when the owner finally had walked in his direction, preparing to lock up the place. Having been paid earlier, the bouncer simply slipped out without being noticed. He had the ability to be still and be forgotten. As long as he didn't move or speak people forgot he was still there. It was one of his innate skills. Having trailed the Winchester's to Jody Mill's house, he'd made sure there was an emergency that morning at the farthest end of the county. Divide and Conquer. He'd also noted that the Impala had been driven away that night with only two men in it. The girl, the special girl, she had remained inside.

The bouncer had encountered Kyle again while out "arranging" the emergency. Not feeling the upper hand, he'd kept his distance as they each pursued their own arrangements.

None of the ordinary people here in the diner, which excluded Amber and Claire, had even noticed the bouncer's presence in the corner. He knew this diner was a favourite haunt for the locals, including Mark. The bouncer had time on his side and he was a consummate opportunist.

Unbenounced to him, Amber was feeling a pressure behind her eyes and a strong headache much like she'd experienced the night before. With Claire and Mark both hammering her to perform with the band, she wasn't sure if this was a stress headache coming on, or something more...like last night. It felt bad and she could feel like her body was reacting to danger. But there wasn't anything. It made no sense.

Blocking the incessant nagging of her company and trying to figure out what was going on with this sudden discomfort, Amber caught herself wishing Cas was here. He would know what was going on. She was surprised at the fact that she felt the need to speak to him or that she thought his presence would be comforting in this situation. She reflected that she'd taken to having more and more conversations with Cas and that he was turning out to be a reliable ally in the bunker. She briefly thought about calling him.

Listening in to Mark's persuasive moves, Claire shifted her face to coyly address Amber. "So… are you?"

At Claire's question being directed at her, Amber looked up from her coffee mug surprised. "What? Shifting her focus back to the here and now, Amber became aware that she was being addressed.

"Are you gonna sing with them?" Claire asked impatiently. "I didn't even know that was on the table!"

"It's not…not really," Amber answered, her discomfort more than evident. She glanced at Mark to gauge his reaction.

"Aw come on! We rocked last night! We're a good match, Amber! And you had a blast. Don't try to tell me otherwise!" he immediately countered, smile wide, eyes crinkling at the corners with a shit eating grin.

Amber smiled fondly at the memory of her performance. It had felt amazing and she had missed it. She knew she had no choice but to refuse, though. What she didn't know was how to support her refusal.

"It was great, Mark. It really was. And I really had an awesome time. But there's a reason I've stopped doing this. I don't like the exposure. Not anymore. I don't like the crowds. Plus, my family has some issues with this whole singing gig. I can't afford to lose any more brownie points with them right now."

"Aw, come on! You loved it and you rocked that place. Man, you worked that crowd like a pro," was Mark's unconvinced rebuttal. She certainly didn't look like she hated the crowds' attention.

"And screw Dean and Sam, dude! They're not here! They don't have to know!" Claire added in, excited at the prospect of Amber performing again. Amber was flailing about internally. She did love to perform and she did enjoy the crowds, but the need to keep a low profile was real.

"Sorry, guys. But no. I can't. Let's just say I need to… lay low," Amber added, hoping that both Claire and Mark would make uncomfortable guesses for the reasons behind her decision that would stop them from further nagging at her about this.

Mark eyed her intently. He could tell she wanted this. He could also tell she'd made up her mind. Playing his last card he offered, "How about you just join us at rehearsal tomorrow? No crowd. The tavern is mostly empty at noon. You come, we sing, we have a good time and if you change your mind you join us in the evening."

Augh! This guy wasn't taking no for an answer.

"This would be awesome! Girrrl...you know you want this," was Claire's goading response.

Amber was getting frustrated at the lack of backup she was receiving from Claire. Whose side was she on anyway? But, Claire had no idea about the 'why' of it all. And Amber DID wish to perform with the band. God dammit, this was so hard.

"Let me think about it. I may have something to do tomorrow," was Amber's non-committal response.

Looking at her sideways, Claire snorted. "Yeah, you mean like all of those plans we have?"

Her shoulders dropping in defeat, Amber felt the last of her strength ebbing away. She found herself nervously checking her phone for the tenth time that morning. Now would be a great time for Kyle to answer her text. A date with him would be a sufficient reason to get out of this situation. Yet, there was no return text from him. No text, no missed calls, no nothing. She briefly wondered if she was being overly sensitive for feeling annoyed with this lack of communication. He probably had a late night and hadn't even seen her text yet. Probably.

Her eyes shifted to Mark, then Claire. Despite her words they looked far from ready to drop this. And if she was honest with herself she kinda hoped they wouldn't. God, was she going to get into trouble again? Would she be attracting the wrong sort of attention?

"It's only a lunch rehearsal. Just come for this. You have to eat lunch anyway. Hey, I'll make you a deal: You show up, I'll buy you both lunch," was Mark's persuasive hat toss. If direct persuasion didn't work, there was always peer pressure.

Amber was losing this fight. It felt more and more like she was going to be there. Laughing at the amount of pressure these two were putting on her, and the helplessness of her argument, she couldn't help but be amused by their tag teaming effort.

"Alright. I'll consider it. Really, just lay off already," she answered in frustrated amusement, leaning her face over her coffee cup, bangs cascading forward covering her eyes. She felt the need to veil herself from these two. Sheesh ...did she even stand a chance here? In self defence, Amber changed the subject. Looking up from her coffee, she asked, "What are you having?" indicating Mark.

"Oh, after a night of drinking and a five mile run it's mandatory to get greasy bacon, a couple of eggs, biscuits, and gravy. Soaks up the booze from last night."

Amber looked at Mark askance. This sounded disgusting!

Not missing her reaction, Mark laughed. "Sweetheart, you've haven't had a hangover before have you?"

A shy smile, eyes still hidden by her bangs, Amber opted not to answer or challenge his question. She had her fair share of drinking escapades and quite a few hangovers. Instantly, she remembered the worst hangover she'd ever experienced was the night she and Ty both drank away their breakup blues. Still, greasy food was never her go-to option. The same could not be said for Ty. Hiding her reminiscent smile in her mug she remained silent.

Just then Claire's order came and so did Mark's. Being a regular, his usual was a standard and the waitress knew her job well.

"So, Mark...got your flask on you?" Claire addressed the bass guitarist bluntly.

"You know it."

"In case you got thirsty on your run?" Amber asked with a disbelieving chuckle.

"Water's overrated anyway," Mark smirked at her. Turning to Claire he asked, "Want a little in your coffee?"

"Sure," was Claire's response. When the waitress was in the kitchen, Mark took a flask out of his coat pocket and poured a bit of amber liquid into Claire's coffee. Winking he offered Amber some and she instantly nodded. After adding some to Amber's cup, Mark emptied the last of the flask into his own coffee. Stuffing the empty flask away, he took an appreciative sip. "My old Italian gram used to call this 'proper coffee', 'cept she used grappa. I hate the stuff. Jack works just fine."

Amber reflected that this trip was risky, but she was starting to have some fun. But boy, she needed to keep this all on the down low otherwise her ass was grass. Sipping her coffee, Amber did feel the warmth of the whiskey flow through her body. It had been a while so a little was going a long way.

Their food eaten and fortified coffee imbibed, Claire and Amber headed to the door. Mark, not one to let things go, called out to the girls as he got into his own truck,

"I'll see you at rehearsal tomorrow. Lunch is on me."

Waving, he backed his car out and drove away. Claire and Amber were left standing in front.

"We're not going to drive, are we?" was Amber's concerned response. Shaking her head, Claire signaled they were not.

"Not when you live with the sheriff."

Claire grinned a cheeky grin that made Amber laugh. She felt certain there was a story behind Claire's response, but she wasn't sure she wanted to know.

Let's walk downtown. We can leave the SUV here. Everyone knows it's Jody's and no one will care."

It was daylight now and the town was carrying on another day. Bright light sparkled off of the crystals of frozen dew, glinting off of everything. It was deadly beauty. Inhaling the freezing air Amber wondered how Jody was.

The bouncer casually slipped out of the diner and decided to follow the girls. Driving his rusted blue truck in the same direction the girls were walking, he passed within feet of them as they walked on the side of the road. He continued past them, a seemingly innocuous person starting their day.

Amber felt a wave of nausea hit her hard. Grabbing her stomach she felt the heat behind her eyes and the dizziness giving rise to a headache. This grace-crap acting up was getting bad. Glancing around her nervously she tried to think of a way to slip away from Claire and call Cas.

As they walked by a sporting goods shop, Claire paused and turned to Amber.

"Hey, Amber, do you mind if we pop in to Gerald's shop for a minute? I wanna pick up something I have on layaway. I finally have the last payment."

Her friend's request, serving as the perfect opportunity, Amber schooled her expression to a neutral one before shrugging. "Sure! Go ahead. I'll make a call and catch up with you inside."

Not paying much attention, Claire nodded and promptly walked inside the small, dimly lit store.

Glancing around her, Amber took her phone out and called Cas. As she waited for him to pick up she wondered how she'd manage to convince him to keep their discussion to himself.

"Amber?"

"Hey, Cas."

"Are you alright?"

"I'm…" Amber trailed but paused, remembering her doubts about the confidentiality of this talk. "Okay, first things first… can you need to keep this discussion…uh, private?"

"You mean secret?"

"Let's stick with private," Amber insisted with a small smile.

"Sam and I had one of those. I'm not to disclose it with you or anyone else. If this is an attempt to learn about that…"

"It's not. But can we have one of those? Can I talk with you about something and be certain you'll keep it to yourself? Like you did just now for Sam?"

Amber listened at the lingering silence and knew the angel was contemplating what to do.

"We can."

Amber sighed with relief. "You promise? Cas, this is important, if I can't trust you…"

"I promise, Amber."

"So you won't call Sam or Dean with everything I tell you?"

"Is your life in danger?"

Amber considered the question before answering "No more than usual. Me being wanted by Satan and all..." She wasn't confident about her answer, but she didn't want to risk any unnecessary Sam and Dean involvement. Not this weekend at least.

"Then I won't."

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"Yes, I know that's a hunting knife," Claire said with a frustrated huff.

"Gerald, I made another payment on it last month. Here, see my receipt," fishing a crumpled piece of paper out of her pocket, Claire held it out to the gun store owner.

Gerald Dahl, a balding man with the body hair of a bear and the physical presence to match, scrutinized the handwritten receipt. His assistant had initiated the sale and had logged each subsequent payment. He'd crosscheck it in their books to make sure it all checked out. Noticing another customer in the store standing behind Claire, Gerald called out,

"Hey Frank, give me a few minutes, will ya. I'll be with you next."

"Take your time. I want to have a look at the Carhart coats," was Frank's casual response, his index finger pointing in the direction of the clothing section indicating where he could be found. Nodding, Gerald acknowledged this and returned his attention back to the girl.

"OK. Well, lemme see if I can find it. Lucas would've put it in the gun safe. But sweetheart, I still don't know why you need a knife like this? I've got some real nice mother-of-pearl handled folding knives that'll fit in your purse," was the man's condescending response, delivered with an intended friendly insult.

Used to this routine banter with the store's owner, Claire cracked a grin, "Cause the prey I hunt needs stopping, not discouraging."

Laughing, Gerald eyed the feisty blonde. "Yep, I imagine they do," was all he said before heading into the backroom to look for her knife.

As the shop owner headed into the back, Frank, still standing next to Claire, met Claire's eyes and seemed to be talking quietly to her before heading over to the hard weather clothing section of this local institution.

Searching for both the receipt book, which would have a copy of Claire's payments and the knife, Mr. Gerald Dahl mused on the ever growing range of customers he had. And that they included this pretty blonde firecracker, there was hope for this generation.

Finding the receipt book with all payments in order, and then locating the knife, he held it in his hand one last time. It had been an unusual find. Randalls were individually handmade and amazing. It was a 14-inch high carbon curved fixed blade with a wrapped grip and a weighted pommel for balance. It was a large man's knife and this little, bitty girl, without fail, sniffed out his best merchandise. She was petite, yet he'd think twice before assuming any outcome in a fight with her. She had an unpredictable air of confidence about her and he respected this.

He'd taken over his daddy's sporting goods store when he was twenty nine, and grew up with most of their customers. He considered his customers' privacy part of his pact with the community who did business with him. He kept all his customers' names confidential. As long as he has no reasonable suspicion he did the same with Claire, but he'd been getting real close to talking with the sheriff about her. However, once word got out that he'd involved the authorities in a private citizen's business, he could kiss his respected reputation goodbye. South Dakota was still a land of rugged individualism where the right to private weapons ownership was tantamount to breathing. No sir. He would sell this fine weapon, that would better suit his own bear paw-sized grip, and be happy Claire was a faithful customer. He wouldn't pry.

Gerald also counted Sheriff Mills as another one of his good customers.

Having finished her conversation with Cas, Amber had wondered inside the store. She found herself eyeing the guns in the wall case. She'd begun to look at firearms with new understanding and appreciation, but her window shopping was interrupted by Claire grabbing her arm.

"There's demon activity the next town over. One of my contacts said this morning there was a double murder out at an overlook. Some other kids parked there claimed that a group of black-eyed men had gone car-to-car looking for someone specific. Said the kids were real freaked out, one pee'ed himself."

Amber felt her heart jumping in her chest and fear seizing her mind. She stared at the blonde's excited face and asked, despite already knowing the answer, "You want to go hunting?"

"Don't you?" Claire asked incredulously.

"Not like this! Not without knowing what we're getting into," Amber tried to reason. Claire's flabbergasted expression made her realize she needed stronger arguments if she wanted her to abort this plan. Her brain working furiously, she added, "Plus, Jody might already be there. This might be connected with the case she had to go out for, right?"

Claire looked like she was weighing Amber's words. After short contemplation she shrugged. "Even if Jody is there we can still gather some intel and remain unnoticed. I know how she works when she's acting as the sheriff. We'll simply have to avoid her and she won't even know we're there. We can be over there before 10 am. I have a go bag at Jody's. I'll get my knife and we'll head out."

Amber felt her headache intensifying. This was bad. This was not how she hoped this trip would go. Castiel's words had done little to calm her nerves. Not even he could be sure if these power surges stemmed from an actual presence of danger, or were simply side-effects of the strengthening of her grace. And this uncertainty made her very uneasy. Could this demon activity mean there were more demons in Sioux Falls? Was this the reason her powers were going off? What if they were onto her? She contemplated calling Sam and Dean but the last thing she wanted was to be locked up in the bunker yet again. Bringing a hand to pinch the bridge of her nose she briefly closed her eyes before opening them again and looking at her friend.

"I'm not taking any chances with this Claire, sorry. If we knew more about what we'd be facing I'd probably tag along, but not like this. I can't risk Jody catching us either. If I go and somehow Dean hears about it I'm dead. I mean it. Dean'll kill me and then bring me back to life only to kill me again."

Amber watched Claire's expression turning from excited to disappointed. "Fine, you can stay here and I'll head over there alone."

"Claire!" Amber's voice came out almost pleading. "You know getting into these situations without backup isn't safe!"

Rolling her eyes, the blonde crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Don't start, alright? I asked you to come with and you don't want to! What other choice do I have?"

"To stay here and leave this to someone else. We're talking homicide and black-eyed men here! There's no way in hell this won't reach Jody. She'll have someone handle it if she can't do it on her own. Plus, what if there are more demons around here? What if something comes up while you're gone? I'm too new to this to face anything alone!"

Amber watched Claire's face changing, this time from frustrated into a smirk. Amber had hit upon Claire's insecurities, her thirst to prove herself. And her need to feel more powerful than those around her. This trait of hers usually got on Amber's nerves, triggering her own competitiveness, but right now it proved to be a useful tool for Amber to manipulate the situation to her favour.

"Fine. But we're keeping a close eye on this. If nobody handles it and those fuckers cause even more trouble, I'm heading there whether you follow me or not!"

Amber nodded with a soft smile. "Thanks, Claire!"

Letting out a frustrated huff, Claire then asked, "Can you call Kyle? Tell him what came up and ask him for any further intel?"

Jaw clenching and hands vanishing into her coat's pockets, Amber shook her head. "I'm not calling him again. I've tried three times already. Not even a text back. Call him yourself if you want to."

Catching her sour tone, Claire didn't have time to respond, as Gerald's voice sounded from the cashier's desk.

"Let me get my knife and we're out of here."

As Claire turned her back to her, Amber took out her phone to check yet again for texts or missed calls. When she found none, she shoved the phone back in her pocket and turned to glare out of the store's door.

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Sam was eating his granola and yogurt as he waited for his sister to answer his call. It was ringing on his end. Just then, spoon in his mouth, he finally heard her voice as she picked up. Quickly pulling the metal utensil out, a small smile formed on his face.

"Hey, Amber. Did I wake you up?"

"Nope! I've been up a while," Amber answered as casually as she could. She didn't know if Jody had let the brothers know of her work emergency and that she, Claire, and Alex were alone for the day, but she sure as hell didn't plan on mentioning it. "How are you guys? Did you make it safe back home?"

"The trip was fine," Sam answered after lightly clearing his throat. He didn't think Amber would take it well if he told her they were a couple of towns and less than an hour away from her. But Dean was tired and adamant they needed some time off. And Sam couldn't disagree. Plus, they both felt a bit more comfortable about being close to Amber, in case anything came up.

"So, what do you plan to do on your first day?" He asked casually.

"No plans yet. We went out for breakfast with Claire and now we're hanging at home. We might see Kyle later too."

" 'We' as in Claire and Alex too?"

Rolling her eyes Amber had to take a few seconds to resist blowing up on Sam. It wasn't his fault Kyle hadn't contacted her all day. "We'll see. We haven't made any plans yet," she finally answered. "Hey, can I talk to Dean real quick?"

"Uh… No. Not right now," Sam said a bit awkwardly.

"Why not?" Amber asked a bit surprised.

"He's… Out."

Reading the uneasiness in her brother's tone, Amber didn't let this go. "Out where? It's still so early."

"Just… getting some air," Sam answered. He hated how elusive he sounded. He didn't want to lie to Amber, but he didn't know how well the truth would sit with her either. He had a feeling that Amber, learning that Dean had been out all night with a woman, might lead to tension and fights. Sam knew how insecure Amber still was. She might have come to trust them, but something like this could easily jar her and make her second-guess her place in their family. And in this situation, in Dean's heart and life.

"Sam!"

Sam could read the disbelief and clear annoyance in her tone.

"What's going on? Why aren't you telling me? Did something happen to him?"

At her now evidently worried tone, Sam realized she wouldn't let this go. "No, Amber. Nothing happened. He just went out for a drink."

"He went for a drink at eleven in the morning?" Amber asked incredulously. Then her brain pieced it together. "Oh… He… He went for a drink last night and isn't back yet?" She hesitantly asked.

"Yeah," Sam confirmed unwilling to lie to her. "Look, he probably just got too drunk to drive back home and stayed at a motel or something."

Amber laughed nervously at Sam's words. Even to her own ears it sounded forced. She couldn't quite tell why, but realizing Dean was probably sleeping at the side of an unknown woman with whom he spent the night, made her feel upset. She knew it shouldn't. She knew it was perfectly normal. Both her brothers were grown men, but it still bugged her. Deciding she didn't want to think about it anymore, and not being in the mood to take this discussion any further, she spoke into the phone,

"Right… Anyways… Claire's calling me to help her with lunch. Talk to you later!"

Sam remained holding the phone to his ear as the call ended abruptly. Staring at his half-finished snack he wondered just how much this had upset Amber and how this could be handled.

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Smut Scene

Sweat running down the sides of his forehead, beading on his shoulders and chest, he was raging like a stallion at stud. He watched her. Those nipples were hard little rosebuds atop a puffed up mound that grew more pink and swollen with her response. He played with each one, rolling them between his fingers and noticing her body respond even more as he squeezed a bit harder.

Yes, indeed! She liked a little pain with her pleasure. Dean smiled that he was nailing this.

Then he felt it, she reached her climax and he saw her face change into beautiful agony. Her guterral cry thrilled him and he felt her body clench up even tighter around him. His vision nearly dancing with black dots from the sudden constriction of blood flow. Moving his hands to her waist, he pushed down harder on her hips, his large hands forcing her tight against him, restricting her movement. He felt the solid roundness of her ass and thighs on his groin. God she felt good!

She was so pretty and her sexual appetite was healthy...and interesting. He'd never had THAT request before.

She'd asked to be dominated. While it was a first, he had a good idea of what to do and he'd received only escalating encouragement from his efforts. At one point he'd wrapped his hand around her neck just to see her reaction. He'd held it steady without strength. He'd watched her pupils dilate and an almost purring sensation came from her throat. Increasing his hold on her neck, as far as he dared, she'd become this sexual beast, wet and raging under his control. Man, she liked it rough!

He'd explored the whole of her. Every inch of skin was so soft and smooth, and yet she had strength under this softness. In a stuccatto of action, she'd held his gaze, smiling at him. Her grin had taken on this impish, challenging nature and she'd raised her hand slowly as if to strike him. She'd done this deliberately slow so he could see her action and stop her if he wanted.

He hadn't.

When she'd smacked his face it was a hard slap, her eyes danced inviting a response. Accepting the invitation, he'd smacked her face back, obviously not as hard. Nonetheless, her face had taken on a pink handprint that had matched his own. They'd inserted this adrenaline-driven foreplay into their libido. What a woman! And this was their first time together!

Dean was both impressed and a bit shocked at her trusting him. He wondered how she'd managed to survive up to this point without apparent assault and injury. She was playing a dangerous game...but he wasn't complaining. No sir! She was a life force burning in his hands. His own skin, every point of contact with her, and all of his senses, were instructing his psyche and sympathetic nervous system into a direct feed to brute ecstasy.

Her scent was the musky sweat of her own effort and the lightly astringent and warm aroma of her heavy arousal, dripping down her loins and covering them both. It was gloriously physical!

Taking in the visual snapshot of the angle of her jawline, her delicate features, her full mouth and the absolutely exquisite arch of her throat, Dean was nearly there. The spreading red of the sex flush all along her cheeks and chest, her breasts heavy and romping with their ride...and this did it. Dean came hard, his nutsack tightening up and that primitive coil arose from his scrotum constricting with seminal eruption. Then all there was was white behind his eyes and the explosion of his sex, coursing from his balls, up his spine and neck, nearly taking off the top of his head. Rocking his world, he came in deep quakes which electrified every nerve. Waves of his cum spurt inside of her.

The primal response to this loveliness, layered over instinct, was Dean's go to release. Gripping her hips tighter, and holding her down hard, he continued to pulse inside her. She appeared to revel in his strength and control of her body.

As Dean finished, she'd collapsed onto his chest, pressing her torso against him, absolute bliss connecting brain, body and soul. Dean felt her breasts pressing against his chest, her arms wrapping around him. They lay there for a long time just floating in the peace of this protected space of 'after sex'.

Opening his eyes, Dean looked down at the head and face he could see of this stranger he'd just had this enjoyable experience with. She felt him stir and looked up, meeting his eyes.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice hoarse.

With a small smirk the woman nodded. "Are you?"

"I'm great. This...this was great," Dean said, as his fingers traced lightly the length of her arm.

"First time playing rough?" she asked, looking at him knowingly.

Dean contemplated the question, unsure of what to make of it.

"Yes, actually. So… did I pass?"

"Well… you did pass, but there's always room for improvement," she purred, biting her lip. She looked so inviting and coquettish with that lip biting thing. Snapping his attention back to her words, Dean contemplated what this 'improvement' might entail. God damn, this woman was a gift!

Taking the hint, Dean sat up and nodded towards the bathroom. "Get in the shower then. I'll be right there."

"Oh, giving me orders already. Yes sir," she purred, her eyes twinkling in anticipation. "For your first time, you're a natural," was her teasing praise. "Don't make me wait. I'll start without you."

End of Smut Scene

He watched her languidly rising to her feet and walking slowly in her glorious nakedness towards the bathroom. Reaching towards his nightstand he grabbed his phone and unlocked it. Seeing a text from Amber he sat up, alarm spreading throughout his brain. Opening it, he read...

'Can u talk?'

"Shit," he mumbled under his breath. He glanced towards the bathroom and decided he couldn't possibly ignore this. He wouldn't. Calling Amber hastily he brought the phone to his ear.

"Hey, Dean," came her response after a few seconds.

"Hey," he whispered quietly into the phone. "You alright? Did anything happen?"

"No, I just wanted to check in with you. Talked to Sam, but you weren't there…"

"Yeah… I… I got caught up with some stuff… So you're safe right? Nothing's going on?" Dean asked, his voice still low, glancing towards the bathroom every other second.

"Everything's fine, Dean…"

"Great! Hey, look I gotta go… Let me call you back a bit later alright? Be good," he said into the phone and promptly ended the call. Sighing in relief that everything seemed alright, he got to his feet and rushed to meet his partner from last night...and seemingly for the rest of that day, too.

The sound of running water hit his ears and a rolling plume of steam billowed out of the bathroom's open door. Pleasure beckoned.

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Her door opening slightly, Amber glanced up from the bed where she was laying on her stomach, leafing through a book she had borrowed from Alex's library.

After spending the rest of the day walking around Sioux Falls, she and Claire had walked the long road back home to Jody's, chatting all the way. They'd arrived back at the house sometime after 4 pm. They'd had a pizza delivered. Then each pursued companionable solitude, Amber taking advantage of Alex's offer of reading material. She'd been absorbed until her eye caught the door's slight movement.

Looking up from reading she saw the door to the guest room was now cracked open a few inches. Instead of a person emerging, a disembodied hand clasping a dark green wine bottle was thrust into view. It was comical in its obvious meaning.

"I take it Jody won't be home anytime soon?" Amber said in an amused tone.

Joining her disembodied hand, Claire's grinning face appeared in the doorway, too. Looking opportunistically impish, she nodded excitedly.

"Yeah. She texted me that she's been delayed. Something really weird must have gone down. I'd say we're on our own tonight."

"Don't you think she'll notice if we drink her wine?" Amber challenged next.

"Nope. Because, this is red wine," giving the bottle a tiny shake.

"And Jody hates red wine. Gives her a headache. She only drinks white...which is why we have another four bottles at our disposal. Gifts from visitors. She never

opens any of it. And she doesn't notice if someone else opens them," Claire explained. Experience had taught her these facts.

"So get your ass out of that bed and come join me in the living room. You've been brooding alone in here long enough."

Amber glanced at her phone. Still no text from Kyle. 'Fuck him' was her hurt dismissal at being ignored. He was playing it hot and cold...and it was really messing with her head.

With no sign of communication from Kyle, or from Dean for that matter, her internal discomfort compounded. Each for different reasons. Screw them both!

Turning her thoughts to Claire and the many bottles of red wine, a smile grew. Hopping up from the bed, she followed Claire.

Entering the living room she saw that the fireplace was lit, creating a pleasant warmth in the room. The flickering flames cast a light of red and blue, illuminating the otherwise dark room. It was late in the afternoon, a cold November evening and the light that came from the large windows was minimal.

Amber plopped herself down next to Claire on the carpeted floor, near the fireplace. Claire's laptop was laying open in front of her on the carpet. Judging by the still image of a blood-stained blonde wielding a knife, she easily deduced what Claire had been watching before fetching her downstairs. Amber watched her opening the bottle and pouring the dark red liquid into two fancy wine glasses.

"What about Alex?" Amber asked as she took hold of her filled glass.

"She's out. Whenever Jody's out of town she makes sure to spend some quality time with Sean, if you know what I mean. I'm surprised she didn't bring him here this time," the blonde answered with a grimace.

"What if Jody comes back without calling?" Amber asked in genuine curiosity. She was still trying to grasp how this family of three operated. She was surprised at the independence the girls had and briefly wondered if she'd have this kind of freedom had she not been a nephilim. Somehow she doubted it. Maybe Sam and Dean wouldn't be so much on edge about every little thing, but she simply couldn't imagine a universe in which she'd have this amount of independence.

"She always calls. She knows how worried we get. But even if she didn't she wouldn't get mad with Alex for having a boy over or being over at his house. All she asks is to know where we are and who we're with. It's Alex that likes to lurk around."

"Why would she?" Amber asked perplexed. "God, you guys are so lucky. Jody's so cool."

"Yeah, she is for the most part…" Claire had to admit with a small smile. "Though you don't want to get on her bad side. She's a force to be reckoned with and doesn't mess around when she's pissed."

Having only witnessed mild scoldings, targeted mainly at Dean, Amber smirked at the absurd image of an angry Jody. She simply couldn't see it. Bringing the glass to her mouth and tasting the wine hesitantly, Amber was pleasantly surprised with the rich, complex taste and bouquet. "This is good!"

"Well, it's no tequila but it grows on you. It helps that it's not the cheap kind. That shit is disgusting," Claire said with a grimace as she swirled the wine in her own glass. She remembered trying a cheap brand of wine that Dustin had shoplifted back when she was still living with Randy. It wasn't only the awful taste and chemical aroma that made her cringe, but also the very vivid memory of the following day's hellish hangover.

"So you're a tequila person?" Amber asked, bringing her back to present.

"I like most kinds of liquor. But, yeah. Tequila is by far my favourite. Not that I've had it in quite a while. Disadvantages of being under the sheriff's eye."

The two of them sat in companionable silence for about a minute, staring at the flames. It was then that Amber scooted closer to the laptop and turned to Claire, "Buffy marathon?"

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Three episodes and two bottles later the two girls laid on the carpet chuckling heartily at yet another story of Dean that Claire had decided to share.

Amber used her fist to rub at her eyes as her last chuckles died down. As she turned to look at her friend she felt a pang of jealousy. Despite being Dean's sister, she had never gone mini-golfing with him. Hell, she hadn't even grabbed a coffee somewhere with him. Other than a quick meal on the road, and maybe a couple of movie-nights at the bunker, she hadn't spent any real quality time with her brothers. She had just learned, from Claire of all people, about Dean and the mark of Cain. This made her wonder just how much of Sam and Dean's lives she had no idea about. All of Claire's stories, combined with the fresh memory of Dean getting rid of her on the phone, made her turn from giddy to annoyed in a matter of seconds. God-knows-what he was doing with some random woman he ended up with last night. Abruptly sitting up, Amber proceeded to pour more wine for herself from the half-full bottle. She downed half of it in a single gulp.

Sitting up too, Claire watched her. "Okay, what's been up with you all day?"

"I'm just sick of being ignored," Amber mumbled without giving it much of a thought. It wasn't like her to show her cards so easily, but right now, she was tipsy and she couldn't care less.

"By Kyle?" Claire asked, grabbing her own glass and drinking the last bit of wine that was left inside.

"And Dean…"

"Dean?" Claire asked incredulously. "Dude, you just got rid of him for like two days! If he ignores you that's a good thing!"

Amber sighed frustrated. How could she possibly explain this to Claire? "It's not that he doesn't call all the time or anything… It's why he doesn't…"

"Why doesn't he?" Claire asked, forehead creased in her effort to understand what Amber was trying to say.

" 'Cause he's too busy fucking someone…" Amber answered in a bitter tone.

Claire remained watching her, unsure of how to respond to this. It was the last thing she expected to hear. And also the last thing she'd expect a girl like Amber to care about.

"Dude… That's like… Totally normal! What did you expect? I know you just found out about each other and everything, but he's a grown-ass man. Of course he'll fuck around occasionaly," she finally said. The look of conflicted anger on Amber's face told her that probably wasn't the best thing to say.

"Don't you think I know that? I don't give a shit! It just bugs me," Amber answered curtly, ignoring the obvious contradiction. It bugged her a lot.

Claire tried to think this through a bit more, but for the life of her she couldn't understand why Amber was so mad at Dean. The wine didn't help with her deductive reasoning.

She'd been in Amber's shoes. Jody had Asa Fox over from time to time and both Alex and she thought it was fine. Asa was like a celebrity at their home, he was such a famous hunter. And he was respectful of how he took up Jody's time, saying hello and speaking a bit with each girl when they crossed paths in the house. Deciding it didn't matter, she moved onto the second thing that was bothering her friend, hoping she could be of more help there.

"And Kyle?"

"He hasn't even texted… So what… One night he gives me knives and acts all jealous and then the next he's off the grid and can't bother to send a single, simple text?" Amber asked, tossing her hair with her hands in an act of frustration.

"And Dean… What? One day he acts like the end of the world is coming 'cause I sang a fucking song and then he can't be bothered to talk for more than a minute? Who the hell do they think they are?" Huffing she turned to Claire. "Am I being too dramatic with all of these?"

"I'd rather not answer that," Claire quipped with a wry smile. Letting out a light belch, Claire laughed at this.

Grabbing a pillow and tossing it in her general direction, but not even coming close to hitting her, Amber burst out in an agitated laughter.

"Hey… Let's get out of here! Come on," Claire said decisively, getting to her feet.

"And go where?"

"Anywhere… Nowhere… Just for a drive! C'mon! There's nothing that'll cheer you up more than a night drive with ridiculously loud music. Trust me, I should know! I do it all the time, when I want to clear my head!"

"Claire! We've been drinking!"

With a shrug the blonde answered, "It's just a bit of wine! I've driven after having drunk much more than this!"

"What was all that 'not when you live with the sheriff' stuff you said this morning?" Was Amber's counter argument.

"Oh, that was hard liquor. This is wine. Big difference," was Claire's answer, an expression of clear-eyed confidence on her face.

"What about the car? Didn't Alex pick it up from the diner? She has it." Amber was torn between her desire to follow Claire on this crazy ride and her fear of anything going wrong.

"Alex brought it home after her shift at the clinic and before she left with Sean. Now come on! Stop being a pussy! It'll be fine! We'll be back in an hour tops with plenty of time to lick this place clean before Jody comes back! Just a quick drive!"

Amber, out of excuses, remained staring at Claire in silent contemplation for a few more seconds, her own eyes glassy with inebriation. "Oh, what the hell," she finally mumbled. "Let's do this!"

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"See, I told you it would be good to get some air," was Claire's self satisfied response.

Left arm resting on the door handle, Claire kept her right hand on the steering wheel, lazily driving the SUV through a back road near the oldest continuously used cemetery in the US. She actually liked this area at night. It was creepy and exciting. Occasionally she'd seen other teens out doing their own version of a 'ghost hunt', but she brushed it off as these kids never stuck around long enough to see the real thing. They'd scare themselves silly and drive off...real fast. Kind of a right of passage for the local kids.

Amber thought it looked grim. Despite the wine still affecting her, she could tell something was up. She was starting to feel this ache behind her eyes and the clenching of her heart. Her angel grace was definitely acting up, but she was near a graveyard. Of course it would be. Duh. Reminding herself of Castiel's words from earlier that morning, she decided to ignore the growing symptoms and kept her thoughts to herself. Like Castiel had said, this was probably nothing but "growing pains" since there had been no sign of imminent threat the night at the diner or this morning at the gun store.

Seeing her favorite parking place, Claire parked the SUV right next to the gate leading up to the old cemetery.

"Here?" was Amber's disbelieving response.

"Yeah. There's a path that leads up to the oldest part of it. Native Americans have been burying their dead here for centuries, too. Looks like everyone considers this place only fit for the dead," was Claire's observation and historical factoid.

Amber watched her uneasily, unfastening her seatbelt and stepping out of the car. Taking in a deep breath and reminding herself she was training to become a hunter, she grabbed hold of the half-empty bottle of wine they had brought along and followed Claire on the dark narrow path that slithered up the graveyard's hillside. As they walked, Amber felt watched. It was so creepy. The hairs on her arms stood up on end. It was that primitive response to danger.

Involuntarily, Amber's hand went to her demon blade, secured in her father's sheath that was attached to her belt. Dean and Sam had insisted she always had one on her and she knew how to use it. This didn't really quell her fears...not one bit.

Following Claire's lead she warily walked behind her as they made their way up the rounded hillside. Claire slipped on a visor and Amber could tell it was on, but it didn't seem to light anything around them.

"What's that," was Amber's whispered question. "Infrared light. I can see things in the dark without being seen. You should get a pair. Don't those two have any?" was Claire's casual reference to the Winchester brothers.

"I don't know."

"Well, I'll bet they do...and if they don't you should definitely get some."

Amber was curious, despite her growing nausea and pain behind her eyes. It was really becoming noticeable.

"What do you see?" Amber really wished she had a pair right now.

"I see a lot of gravestones and not much else," was Claire's response.

And then she saw it.

It came at her so fast she didn't even see tracers in her night vision goggles.

He looked like an ordinary man, but his movements were far from ordinary. Stepping beside Claire, a man of medium height was upon them, eyes dark and actions beyond fast. Claire turned swiftly, instinctively grabbing her own demon blade and whirling on the intruder, demon blade held well in her defensive stance.

"So kind of you to bring her here to me," was the man's response. His voice was tinney and high. Amber heard this and her whole body clenched up. She felt fear and alarm grip her whole being.

Still tipsy from their wine drinking, Amber tried to grab her demon blade, but felt her reflexes fumbling. Just then she noticed her grace seemed to have stopped working altogether. No warning symptoms, no pain behind her eyes..and no power. It was as if her angel grace had exhausted its power in warning her, but wouldn't do anything useful to actually protect her.

In the thick darkness Amber watched with difficulty as Claire and the man paced slowly across from each other, their figures coiled springs of -K force ready to let rip for attack. The sound their shoe-soles made as they stepped onto the dirt and rocks below them. She got glimpses of their outline as Claire and this man squared off against each other. Their bodies made silhouettes against the night sky. It gave Amber some orientation.

Taking a cautious step closer to the scene, Amber was trying to walk behind the man when, in the darkness, she collided up against something solid.

It was the hard chest of another man.

Letting out a startled gasp she jumped back, wielding her blade in the general direction of this second intruder. Before she could make any attempt to attack, a harsh kick to her stomach knocked her off balance and the demon knife flew from her hand.

Nausea and pain gripping her body, stopping all response to anything outside of her injured gut, Amber lay on the ground clutching at her stomach. The waves of pain were disabling. But she was still aware of her surroundings even as she found she couldn't respond to them. She could feel danger all around her.

Then the adrenaline of her fear kicked in and she became more clear headed.

Dragging herself hastily to the opposite direction of her attacker, Amber tried to keep track of the movements in the dark. She could hear the scuffle and vocal effort of Claire. Amber could faintly see the outline of movement against the starry sky. Piecing together the fight, and its nearness to her, Amber stood up, still clutching at her gut. She'd dropped the wine bottle somewhere. She was trying to get her bearings.

Sensing the first intruder and Claire still circling each other, she was struggling to fight off the second intruder.

As she kept moving blindly backwards, Amber screamed when a large hand grabbed her throat and lifted her right off the ground. She was brought inches away from a man with sickeningly horrendous breath. His cruel smile only adding to the horror. For some reason Amber could see him clearly and she didn't know why. She was being held by a middle-aged man. A man she knew. She immediately recognized the bouncer from the tavern and her eyes grew wide in fear and realization.

"What's up, doll? No pet demon to bail you out tonight? He should've kept better tabs on you…" He slurred.

A loud thud and Claire's yell of pain told Amber that she had been overpowered.

"Remember, we are to keep her alive... And reasonably unharmed," the guy that was fighting Claire called.

Amber gasped for breath in the man's hold, and felt her heart pounding so loudly and erratically that she couldn't bring her brain to cooperate and think. As surges of panic started seizing her, the man's hold on her neck abruptly relaxed. Amber fell to the ground heaving and clutching her throat, as she watched the bouncer's body flashing red for a few seconds, before he collapsed lifeless on the ground.

Bewildered eyes turning upwards, she felt a wave of relief upon spotting Kyle, holding her bloody demon knife.

"Get up," he told her curtly, offering a hand to help her regain her footing.

"How…" Amber managed to get out in a hoarse voice, but Kyle promptly pushed her behind him, shielding her, as the second demon made his way towards them.

"Well, well, well! If it isn't the black-eyed guard-dog," the man said in a sarcastic tone.

Amber felt her mind grab onto these words as she registered everything happening. What on earth was this man talking about? Her eyes scanned the area around them for Claire, but she couldn't see her. She felt her worry skyrocketing. What if she was seriously hurt?

Right as the man opened his mouth to speak again, a large rock cracked against the back of his head. Amber saw his expression darkening as he spun around in time to stop Claire's attempt of killing him with her knife. He grabbed a hold of her arm and twisted it behind her back, making the girl scream out in pain.

"You little piece of shit," he grunted out. "It's enough that we have to deal with the stupid d…" before the rest of his words could leave his mouth, Kyle stabbed him with Amber's demon blade, forcing it four inches into the back of his neck. The three of them remained watching as his body flashed a bright red before dropping heavily on the ground.

Amber immediately moved to Claire and helped her to her feet. "You okay?" She asked, her voice still hoarse, from the manhandling of her throat.

"I'm fine," Claire answered curtly. Turning to Kyle she added. "Thanks for the help, but how the fuck did you get here? Your truck wasn't parked out front.

Kyle looked at her incredulously. "How did I get here? What the fuck is wrong with the two of you?"

Both girls looked at him, startled at this sudden explosion. Amber watched

as his furious eyes turned to her.

"Especially you! Do you have a fucking death wish? After everything...," he trailed off quickly. He had already given away too much. Those two demon fuckers had already compromised him enough as it was.

"Where's your car?" He asked in a more composed tone.

"Down at the front gate," Claire answered quietly.

"Move it. I'll walk you there!"

"Like hell you are!"

At Amber's yelled words both Kyle and Claire turned to look at her.

Arms crossing in front of her chest, Amber glared at Kyle as she spoke the next words, "Who the fuck do you think you are? You can't be bothered with a text but you stalk us to the fucking cemetery? And you think you can order us around?"

Kyle let out a disbelieving scoff, "If I wasn't here, you'd be dead! And that's the best case scenario, trust me!" He yelled at her. Seeing Kyle angry, with all of his silence that day, accelerated Amber's own adrenaline-fueled anger.

"And how the fuck do you know that?" Amber yelled right back. "How did you get here without a car? How did you show up right on time to save the day? Just how stupid do you think I am?"

"Do you really want me to answer that for you?" Kyle asked right back.

"Hey, guys, hate to cut this lover's quarrel short, but we almost got killed by demons and I for one, would feel much better sitting in my car! So cut this shit out and let's get moving!"

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Amber moved forward, grabbing her knife from out of Kyle's grip and holding it securely in her own. He let her, keeping his own angry eyes level with her past him, Amber started walking down the path that would lead to their car.

As she breathed in the cold air, Amber gradually felt herself sobering up. Her brain started replaying the terrifying events of the night. She could hear Claire's and Kyle's steps right behind her, and couldn't help but grip her knife even tighter. The demons' words rang in her mind.

Again and again she searched their meaning. But it couldn't be true. It didn't make sense. Or did it? And why the fuck did the first demon say they had to keep her alive? All Lucifer needed was her heart. What did it matter if it was ripped out for him or did he did the honours himself?

Her train of thought was briefly interrupted by the warm sensation that engulfed her neck and filled her throat. Her injured stomach was feeling this warmth, too. Her angel grace was kicking in. Feeling relieved that whatever bruising from the man's hold of her neck had just vanished, possibly before it even managed to form, she couldn't help but wonder why on earth her powers hadn't kicked in while they were being attacked. But even if they had, would she use them in front of Claire? How would she explain any of it if that had actually happened?

As they finally reached their SUV Amber promptly got inside slamming her door behind her. Kyle watched her getting in, standing in place, arms crossed as if to make sure they did as they were told. In this moment, he reminded Amber so much of Dean that it was unnerving. He'd turned all authoritative on her and that had triggered her own rebellious response. Kyle was nearly her own age. What right did he have to give her orders? And with all the implications and doubts that slowly formed in her head, Amber couldn't help but feel like he was the biggest hypocrite in the world.

From within the vehicle's cab Amber glowered at Kyle who met her eyes with unabashed dominance over the situation. Claire, who had in the meantime taken her place on the driver's seat, started pulling the SUV out. Amber watched her waving her goodbye to Kyle which only further frustrated her.

"How can you wave at that prick?"

"That prick just saved our asses," was Claire's incredulous response.

They were silent in the SUV. Then it hit them both.

Amber started to shake uncontrollably. She'd almost died. Claire had almost died. Shock was setting in. Claire was going through the same response, while still driving.

"God, I could use a drink," was Claire's shaky response.

Leaning her head back on the headrest, Amber felt light tremors coursing through her body. She briefly felt angry that Claire had put her in this situation. But then again, Claire had no idea of who or what Amber really was. And as Sam or Dean would probably point out, Claire hadn't made her do anything. She very willfully and drunkenly went along with her plan. Plus the danger was right there all along. The bouncer was a demon and he was paying close attention to them the night before. Now she knew why her powers were acting up while on stage.

Her attention returning to her friend and her words, Amber shook her head mostly to herself as she mumbled, "Just a quick drive around town huh?"

Eyeing Claire from her side of the front seat, Amber rubbed at her face. She was alright. She'd lived. Taking some long, deep breaths Amber was intentionality calming down her fear and shock. They drove on without saying anything, each recovering their own internal order.

Breaking the ice, Claire was the first to recover. "Well, if there's anything better to lift your mood than a night drive, that's a night hunt." As she drove the SUV she added, "You're welcome, bestie!"

At this Amber's mind had a momentary crack in its computing.

She couldn't help it. This was all so wrong. The dark humor of it all caused Amber to involuntarily release a staccato of sardonic laughter.

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