MIAKODA


Several Months Later


"Sam's alive."

Miakoda sat forward from where she'd been writing a paper. She'd found several of her notebooks from her time in Egypt and decided to make a digital copy of it all. "Wait, what? I thought he was in the Pit, for, like, all eternity or something."

Dean's heavy sigh came through the tiny speaker and she heard him run a hand through his hair. "Yeah so did I. Koda, he's been back a year. This whole time. He's been alive and never said anything."

Chucking the covers back, she got out of bed. Padding over to the window, Miakoda wrapped her arm around herself as she held the phone to her ear with the other. "What did he say?"

"That he didn't say anything because I got out. Bobby knew too."

"They're not wrong, Dean." Miakoda reminded him softly, tilting her head a little when she realised that there was a van that was loitering down the street from her. Narrowing her eyes, she thought she could see a woman in it. "You did get out, you're happy with Lisa and Ben and you're content as a construction worker-slash-part-time-mechanic. What you're probably pissed at is that they never told you the last blood relative you have was alive because that would put you right back in the Life."

He sighed again harshly. Over the past few months, Miakoda Hart had become a soundboard for his thoughts. He cared for Lisa and Ben immensely but there was just something about Miakoda that made talking about the grittier things easier with her. Maybe it was because she still got the occasional haunted look in her eye that he did. Maybe it was because, whilst she wasn't a Hunter, he could talk about the Lore and not have to completely debunk it for her.

"You sure one of them doctorates ain't psychology?"

She laughed a little. "Nah, it was just mandatory before the state granted me emancipation that I had to be 'of sound mind' so I was given several therapy sessions. I continued them when I was going through my degrees. Must have just stayed in my head. You're also not a hard man to read, Winchester."

Turning away from the window, Miakoda grabbed her dressing gown and made her way down the stairs. "Now," she declared, flicking the kettle on for tea, "I think you're just torn but what's happened?"

"A djinn."

"Gesundheit." She deadpanned and he huffed over the line. "Tell me the entire story, dumbass or you'll get an ulcer."

Miakoda couldn't help that seed of fear and trepidation that settled in her stomach when he explained that not only was Sam back from the Pit, but also his grandfather on his mother's side, Samuel Campbell. Before the Winchesters truly made a name for themselves in the supernatural world, there was the Campbells. Ruthless and cunning, they didn't care what they Hunted. If it killed or maimed a human, they killed them in return. Which in some cases, wasn't a bad thing. The fewer outliers the supernatural world had, the better. Humans hated things they didn't understand. Look at history just in the 20th century alone.

Why did she tend to attract North America's supernatural Boogeymen? Hadn't she deserved a normal life?

"What's granddad Campbell like, by the way?"

"Fucking off, dude." He stated bluntly. "There's just something weird about his whole…thing that does not sit right with me. And Sam's completely fine with it. And the rest of them."

"Sam has also been with them for a year, don't forget." Miakoda chirped at him, closing the fridge with her hip absently after grabbing the milk out.

"Why do you have to make sense?"

"Because I'm Switzerland in this scenario, that's why. So what did you do?"

"Brought 'em both to Bobby's place-"

"What am I? Chopped liver?" she scoffed playfully, moving into the library, pulling a blanket over her legs as she settled into the sofa.

"You aren't a Hunter."

Not in that sense anyway. "No, I know. Then I'm assuming you went back to the house to trap the djinn?"

"Yeah." She could hear the regret in his sighed word.

"Dean, what happened?"

"Sid died on my watch, okay?" he near snapped at her. Part of him knew she didn't deserve his attitude but god damn it, he could be pissed if he wanted to. It was because of his sloppiness, his laziness in not staying in top form that got both Sid and his wife killed.

Miakoda raised her eyebrows at his tone. "Okay, one? I get that you're pissed at yourself, you're the human embodiment of Atlas and therefore think you have to carry the entire world on your shoulders but don't snap at me."

Dean sighed again over the phone and she could hear the creak of wood shifting as he probably stretched over it. "I know, 'm sorry. And two?"

"Is everyone else okay? Lisa and Ben?" she asked as she took a drink of her tea.

"Yeah, a little shaken but that's to be expected. We're movin'. I don't know whether or not other monsters will come after them. There's a place for rent in Michigan that we got accepted for. I'm packing up stuff now. Everyone else is asleep."

She was sad for him, he'd gotten out of the Life and now, he was back in whether or not he wanted to be. "I'm sorry, Dean," Miakoda remembered something. "Hey, what did Ben get in his essay, by the way?"

"An A+." the pride in his voice was evident and Miakoda grinned to herself. "I meant to get him to thank you, by the way, he hasn't gotten an assignment finished that quickly before."

"All it takes is a good teacher," Miakoda waved it off, "I grew up with the Tribe stories and when I got to High School, my history teacher was a man that looked intimidating but knew how to entice his kids into the subjects they were doing. We did the curriculum stuff, he couldn't get away from it, but he gave us choices to do subjects when the major things were done. He was the one that suggested I went into the fields that I did. I'm glad Ben was excited about it. His generation's gonna be the one fixing the world from our parents."

Dean stuck the empty beer bottle that he had in his hand into the recycling bin. Reflex, long engrained by John, had him looking for threats as he dragged the thing to the end of the pathway. "Yeah, well, Dad never let us stay in a place long enough to have that happen for me."

"Well, your Dad was a dick, we've long established that, my friend." Miakoda brought the empty mug to the kitchen and checked the time. "Listen, I should let you go, considering that you have to pack up the house tomorrow. Let me know when you've settled into the new place. Or if you just gotta bitch about the Campbells."

Nudging the doormat over so it was flush with the front door after checking the trap below it, Dean nodded. "I will. Stay safe." After a second, he remembered something. "Hey, before you go, they find anything leads on Evdokiya?"

Her eyes fell shut as her free hand came up to rub that phantom pain in her chest. She'd felt the Pack Bond snap months ago but it still hurt. "No." Miakoda admitted gravely, swallowing the whine that pressed at the back of her teeth. "But there was no chance of her going back to Bulgaria. I don't need to be a mind-reader to know that she must have hated it there. I don't think it's good, Dean."

He was quiet, then, "Maybe, after everything, she just went underground. She had that kinda feel to her. Yeah, it's pretty shitty that she left her cat but maybe she wanted to do what was best for him. That old lady ended up taking him, right?"

"Yeah," she near croaked, "yeah she did. I don't know," a heavy sigh. "Maybe something will turn up. Eventually. Goodnight Dean. Be careful."

"Yeah," Dean nodded, feeling more than a little guilty that he hadn't put as much effort as he probably should have into finding the Bulgarian girl, "you too, Koda."

With a heavy anvil on her chest, Miakoda hung up the phone and made her way back down the hall. Instinct had her checking the windows and doors again. That van down the street felt fucking weird. If it was still there come morning, she'd phone the police about it.


A little short, I know but things are starting to pick up now. Thank you so much to the Guest that reviewed Chapter 10, I'm really glad you're enjoying the story. You lot may or may not get more chapters up during the New Decade but I'm going to be busy with packing and flying as I'm going back to the UK for a fortnight come the middle of January so I will play it by ear. Let me know what you all think, the reviews are greatly appreciated.

All my best for the New Decade,

K.