Chapter Eleven: Distress of the Mind

"Quarrels end, but words once spoken, never die."

Hailey Winchester was in an extremely foul mood. Her mind raced with her father's words, with the knowledge that her own father would kill her if she was evil. That her own father looked at her with horror. As though she was a monster, a freak.

Knocking back a shot of Jack, she glowered. She was spoiling for a fight, and perhaps one of the rowdy patrons of this backwater bar out on Interstate 29 would be willing to oblige her. Cracking her neck, she rose to her feet, moving to approach the pool tables.

"Don't."

"Mom?" Hailey gasped.

"I'd know that look anywhere," Mary Winchester smirked. "You're spoiling for a fight."

In only her wildest dreams had Hailey ever hoped that her mother would be there to give her advice. So many awful things had happened to her and the Winchester family. It seemed that with the resurrection of John, Mary, and Hailey, the Winchester's finally had a chance to be a real family.

"I have no idea how you feel," Mary began sitting across from her daughter. "But I know that your father loves you."

"He said he might have to kill me," Hailey croaked. "Does that sound like a loving father to you?"

"It sounds like your grandfather," Mary replied honestly. "Your Grandpa, Samuel, was one tough hunter, and he would do anything to protect his family. Even from themselves. When people go bad, Hailey, sometimes the humane thing to do is put them down."

At Hailey's furious look, Mary raised her hand.

"I'm not saying that's what would have happened with you and Sam," Mary stated fiercely. "I didn't know the bargain I made with Azazel. You have nothing to fear from your father."

"Then why'd he say it?" Hailey whispered. "Why was that the last thing he said to Dean?"

"Honey, you know your dad made his own deal to save Dean's life," Mary sighed. "He didn't have enough time to word things delicately. You know how your father is."

"You talk like you were there, mom," Hailey said.

"I may not have been physically present, but I was always here, baby."

It was a beautiful sentiment, and maybe Mary really was there watching her family on the other side. Hailey wasn't sure how she felt about that, knowing how many times she had wished for her mother. That was all in the past, hell if it hadn't been for Dean god knows how she would've ended up.

When she was a child, she had been jealous of her classmates with a home, that wasn't a car and parents who were always there. Instead, Hailey had Dean, and occasionally her actual father.

"He wasn't exactly the doting father, Mom," Hailey whispered. "He was hunting a lot. Dean picked up the slack. Did you see that? Where Dean stopped being a child the day you died."

"I saw," Mary whispered. "Keeping hunting a secret from your father was one of my biggest mistakes. I didn't know my death would send him down the path I spent my whole life running from. I didn't want this for you, Hailey. You or your brothers."

"It may not be what you wanted, but it's what we got," Hailey said. "So many things changed when you died. From what I gathered, from the stories my brother's told of you and Dad, he was a completely different person."

Mary frowned, at a loss for words. She had seen bits and pieces of her family's lives after she passed, though there were things she had obviously missed. Mary had a hard time judging John for how he was after her death, she knew she probably wouldn't have been much better. After all, Azazel had killed John, and Mary hadn't even hesitated in making a deal. Codependency thy name was Winchester.

"Your father's made mistakes," Mary sighed. "That doesn't mean he doesn't love you."

"That doesn't make things okay," Hailey whispered.

Mary winced in agreement, knowing that her daughter had a point. John Winchester might love his family unconditionally, but that didn't absolve him of his past sins. She only hoped that he could make up for them.

"The Winchesters?" Greta repeated, shrilly. "The kill anything that crosses them, Winchesters? The hunting family that shoots first asks questions later. Are you out of your goddamn mind?"

"The ancestors were very clear," Delphine replied. "Besides, we already have common acquaintances."

"Oh, really?" Astrid scoffed. "Who?"

"The Covenant," Delphine stated.

"Well, shit." Greta sighed. "So, we're supposed to way to join our covens, and the covenant just so happens to know the people who are supposed to help us?"

"Something's been working a long game," Astrid mused. "Things are latching up a little too easy."

"I don't like this," Greta grumbled.

"I don't think the ancestors give a shit, sweetie," Maddie shrugged. "We have our marching orders."

"Dude, I haven't seen Hailey that mad in years," Sam scoffed.

"Yeah, no shit, Sammy," Dean laughed. "She tossed you like a ragdoll."

"Probably shouldn't have grabbed her," Sam shook his head.

"What were they arguing about?" Aiden questioned, glancing between his brothers.

"I overheard her yelling about her abilities," Dean sighed. "About what Dad told me before he died."

"That was years ago," Aiden protested.

"Don't think there's a statute of limitations on telling your oldest kid that he may have to kill two of his siblings," Sam muttered.

"What happened to 'he made the right decision'?" Dean demanded.

"I'm just saying that it sucked to hear," Sam defended. "Oh, hey, dad told me I may have to kill you. It doesn't exactly set up a warm family moment."

"Yeah, cause the Winchester family is chock full of Kodak moments."

"Sounds like our families have more in common than I realized," Fíona snickered.

The Winchester brothers whirled around, taking in the brit's sudden appearance. Dean glared over his shoulder, finding Fíona leaning against the threshold between the sitting room and the kitchen. An amused grin danced over her oval face.

"What the hell do you want, Bela?" Dean groused.

"That was just an alias, darling," Fíona corrected.

"Oh, right," Dean scoffed. "Because you've been so forthcoming in all our previous interactions. I'll definitely take your word on that."

"We're having a bit of a family situation right now," Aiden interrupted. "Perhaps you can come back later."

Fíona smirked, looking Aiden up and down before turning and walking back into the kitchen.

"What's her story, anyway?" Sam questioned. "Hailey certainly sprouted a few interesting stories when she was yelling at you."

"The hand of glory?" Aiden followed. "What was that about?"

"More importantly: she shot Hails?" Sam gaped. "And you didn't kill her?"

"We had more pressing matters," Dean frowned.

"Which were?"

"Hails was fifteen, dude, and some bitch just shot her…"

Buffalo, New York – October 2004

"I don't see why Dad bothered locking this thing up," Hailey smirked, scratching off lottery ticket after lottery ticket.

"He had to have locked it up for a reason," Dean growled. "I can't believe you grabbed it."

"They stole it first," Hailey mumbled, followed by a noise of triumph at another winning lottery ticket. "I just stole it back."

Dean rolled his eyes about to say something when the ringing of a cell phone sounded through the car. With a sigh, Dean grabbed the phone and put it on speakerphone.

"Status report?" John Winchester stated.

"They broke in and stole one of the curse boxes," Dean explained.

"Did you get the box back?" John questioned.

"They opened the box," Dean said. "But, Hails stole the rabbit's foot back."

"You touched it?" John demanded.

"Yeah, they left it lying unattended on a table," Hailey replied.

Both Dean and Hailey had heard the change in their father's tone, but Hailey ignored it and continued, "I don't know why you locked this thing up, it's amazing! We're up fifteen grand. I'm getting a Ducati. Who knew a rabbit's feet was a real thing."

"Damn it, Hailey, a rabbit's foot isn't a good thing; it's hoodoo, old-world stuff," John sighed. "A Baton Rouge conjure woman made it about a hundred years ago."

"She made a hell of a lucky charm," Dean said. "Fifteen grand? That's awesome. Get that motorcycle outta your head."

"It's not a lucky charm!" John barked. "It's a curse. She made it to kill people. Why would you touch it, Hailey?"

"They stole from us!" Hailey retorted. "I took it back. Isn't that why you sent us up here?"

"Watch your tone, little girl, you're already in a world of trouble," John hissed. "When you touch the rabbit foot, you own it. When you own it you get a run of good luck but when you lose it that luck turns bad. Turns so bad you're dead inside a week."

"I won't lose it," Hailey replied breezily. In a there-I-solved-the-problem manner.

"Everybody loses it!" John yelled. "Damn it, Hailey. I'm going to call Singer. Dean keep at eye on your sister. Hailey, do not let that rabbit's foot out of your sight."

"Yes, sir."

"So, she lost it?" Sam interrupted.

"No, Fíona stole it from her," Dean corrected. "I had to lock her in the motel room and then go to Queens to get it back."

"Dad and Bobby found a way to break the curse?" Aiden asked.

"Yeah…"

Following their father's orders found Dean and Hailey Winchester in a cemetery a few miles outside of Buffalo, New York. In the darkness, Hailey was crouching over a small fire. She sprinkled bone ash, cayenne pepper, rock salt, and a few other miscellaneous items over the open flame.

"That should do it," Hailey sighed.

"Just a second," Dean mumbled.

"Dean…" Hailey whined.

"Hey, back off, jinx," Dean scolded, continuing to scratch off more lottery cards. "I'm bringing home the bacon."

Hailey rolled her eyes with a huff, watching as her brother ran through a few more tickets before he stashed them in his jacket.

"All right," Dean smirked. "Say goodbye, ' wascawy wabbit.'"

A gun cocking startled both Winchesters from their ritual. Standing a few feet away was Bela Talbot, holding a gun trained on both of them.

"I think you'll find that belongs to me," Bela stated. "Or, you know, whatever. Put the foot down."

"No," Dean growled. "You're not going to shoot anybody. See I happen to be able to read people. Okay, you're a thief, fine, but you're not-"

Ignoring Dean's attempt at distraction, Bela pivoted slightly, aiming at Hailey and fired. Hailey hit the ground with a groan, hand clutching her bloodied shoulder.

"Augh, you bitch," Hailey whined breathlessly.

"You fucking.." Dean seethed.

"Ah, ah," Bela cautioned. "Back off, tiger. Make one more move, I'll shoot the brat again. You've got the luck, Dean. You, I can't hit. Baby sister? Her, I can't miss."

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Dean demanded. "You don't just go around shooting people like that! Especially a kid!"

"Relax," Bela scoffed. "It's a shoulder hit. I can aim. Besides, who here hasn't shot a few people? Put the rabbit's foot on the ground. Now."

"All right, take it easy," Dean growled.

Dean bent forward, making it look like he was about to drop the rabbit's foot. Instead, he tosses it with an ordered, "Think fast!"

Bela caught the rabbit's foot unthinkingly.

"Damn," Bela seethed.

"Now, can we destroy the foot?"

Bela sucked her teeth in annoyance before she dropped the rabbit's foot on the fire. Destroying both the foot as well as the curse. As the fire burned, Dean moved to his sister's side, putting a bandana over the gunshot wound. In the time it took to run to Hailey's side, Bela had beat a hasty retreat.

"Bela, or Fíona, I guess, was gone before the foot was even completely burned," Dean frowned. "By the time I had checked on Hails, she was gone. Which was a good thing, I would've killed her. Who shoots a fifteen-year-old kid?"

"That was the first time Hailey got shot?" Aiden asked.

"Yeah," Dean sighed. "Took it like a champ, though. Refused to tell Dad what happened, she didn't want to get benched."

"Well, I guess it makes sense why Hailey wanted to claw the bitch's eyes out," Sam mused.

"Are you ready to head back to the house?" Mary asked.

"I don't know," Hailey confessed. "I don't know how to get past this, Mom."

"I think your father knew that Dean would rather die than hurt either you or Sam," Hailey began. "He knew your brother would find a way to save you. Save both of you."

"But if he hadn't…"

"If he hadn't been able to, I don't know," Mary confessed. "It didn't happen that way. I don't think that your father could've brought himself to hurt either of you."

In the back of her mind, Hailey knew that her mother was probably telling the truth. Mary Winchester's death had wrecked her father, him having to put down either of his children was a blow that he would never recover from. But, he had still told Dean. So much had happened since their father's death. It felt a little silly to still be so hurt from what had happened more than four years, especially after everything that had happened.

"Your feelings are valid, Hailey," Mary whispered, grabbing her daughter's hand.

"I'm thrilled you're here, Mom," Hailey said, sincerely. "I've wished for this for so many years."

Mary's eyes welled with tears that she refused to shed. There were so many things that Mary had wished for. So many things that had been taken from her family.

"Dad's going to be pissed," Hailey mumbled.

"You're his little girl," Mary disagreed. "If anything, he's worried. Your father never reacted well to being worried."

"That seems to be a family trait," Hailey smirked. "Ah, fuck it. Let's get back. No use putting off the inevitable."

"That's my girl," Mary praised.

Hailey's answering smile is quick and bright. Taking her mom's hand, she leveled herself out of the booth she had drowned her sorrows in and walked back outside. The impala was parked next to Hailey's bike.

"Your father is also not pleased with your vehicle choice," Mary warned.

"Neither was Dean when he found out," Hailey shrugged. "Honestly, I'm surprised he even rebuilt it."

Hailey walked towards her motorcycle, running a hand over its tank. Dean had been meticulous in its repair. No detail had been spared, it was as if the crash had never happened. She took her helmet, strapping it over her head.

"Be careful," Mary ordered, before climbing into the impala's driver's seat.

Hailey's answering salute made Mary smirk and shake her head. Her daughter reminded her so much of her sons. They had some of the same mannerisms and it was fascinating to watch them interact. Mary waited until Hailey had started off, before following after her daughter. It was a quick journey back to Bobby's Salvage Yard.

The noise of both the motorcycle and the impala's sizable engines brought the Winchester family to the porch. John was standing in front; his arms crossed, his sons stood slightly behind their father. Climbing off the motorcycle, Hailey pulled the helmet off her head, shaking her hair out before she walked towards her family, stopping a few feet away from the porch steps.

Mary got out of the impala, waiting to see what would happen. Hailey had folded her arms, seemingly bracing for her father's explosive temper. Instead John walked down the steps, quickly wrapping his daughter in his arms.

"I'm so sorry, Hails," John whispered.

Hailey stiffened in her father's embrace before slumping into his arms with a sob. Every hurt feeling washing away in her tears.

In the heart of the French Quarter, the Harvest Girls were taking advantage of the nightlife that New Orleans was famous for. Being under the drinking age hadn't even been a problem, no bouncer gave the girls another look as they walked inside. Astrid, Maddie, Greta, and Delphine were dancing together, savoring the fact that they were alive and stronger than ever. The other patrons of Fire and Ice knew that there was something different about the four girls that were in the center of the dance floor. Something was captivating about the girls, almost every person in the bar had given them more than one glance. It seemed like the girls had nary a care in the world as they danced together.

One minute the girls were dancing the next, the smallest girl in the group stopped short. Maddie felt the surge of another witch's power and had stopped short. Her dark brown eyes were fierce as they raked over the other bar patrons before she found what she was looking for: the Covenant.

By the bar of Fire and Ice, the Covenant sat nursing beers and watching the Harvest Girls. The magic the Covenant held could feel the sheer power that was pouring off the girls in waves.

"One of them's noticed us," Pogue Parry noticing Maddie staring at them. "Caleb, are you sure this is a good idea?"

Caleb turned to look at his best friend, his brother and sighed, "Drusilla was far from cooperative, maybe we'll have better luck with them."

"If the rumors are true, they also have a link to the ancestors, maybe they can undo whatever Drusilla did," Tyler shrugged.

It was almost as if the Harvest Girls had been able to hear the Covenant's conversation because the second their regent was mentioned, by name, no less, the four girls turned and snapped their fingers. Instantly, every person in the bar outside of the Covenant and the harvest girls fainted.

"Aw, crap," Reid exclaimed, narrowly avoiding an unconscious tourist falling to the floor.

"For a Covenant of Silence, you aren't very discreet," Maddie noted.

The other three Harvest Girls laughed at Maddie's shot.

"Seriously," Astrid scoffed. "Discussing our business in the middle of a bar?"

"No one could hear us," Pogue defended.

"You'd be surprised," Greta rolled her green eyes, exchanging a smirk with Delphine.

"If you wanted an audience, it's proper to arrange it with our regent." The one called Delly said, turning her glare on the Covenant.

"And you couldn't have chosen another day?" Maddie scolded.

"Not on our first night back," Delly scoffed.

"Come now, Delphine," The tallest of the girls scolded. "And you, Maddie, where are your manners?"

"Guess those hadn't been resurrected yet, Astrid," Maddie replied, her smile fierce.

"Let's skip the niceties, shall we?" Greta said. Her hazel eyes blazed as she moved in front of the other girls. She was neither the tallest nor the shortest in the group, yet she commanded everyone's attention all the same. The three other girls took a step back, yielding the floor.

"You call that nice?" Caleb scoffed. "Rendering all these people unconscious?"

"That's probably the best thing that would've happened to them tonight," The same girl shrugged. "This isn't the best town to not have your wits about you."

"You boys look confused," Delphine laughed unkindly. "You didn't think witches were the only supernatural entity that called this place home?"

"What do you mean?" Caleb asked.

"She means that monsters are lurking in the street, and they love the way tourists taste," Astrid replied.

"Monsters?" Caleb repeated.

"The supernatural community is much bigger than you think," Maddie shrugged.

"We know more than you think," Reid disagreed. "My cousins are hunters."

"You mean murderers," Greta corrected.

"No," Reid stated. "I don't."

"Your cousins have their own reputation," Maddie said.

"Okay, enough!" Caleb demanded, hotly. "We shouldn't have bothered you tonight, but it's evident we need to talk. There is apparently a lot of things that we should discuss."

The Covenant had fallen back as their leader spoke. In the same instant, the Harvest Girls exchanged glances before Maddie stepped forward.

"Spitfire Coffee," Maddie stated. "It's open late and down the street. Give us an hour for some fun, and we'll meet you there."

"Fine," Caleb agreed.

In the den of Bobby's house, the Winchester siblings were strewn haphazardly over the couches, their eyes watching the television. When they were younger, the den had only had one couch. It led to a lot of fights between the siblings as they bickered over everything from seating to one of them sprawling and hogging it all. Finally after multiple fights, Bobby had had enough. He demanded that John give him the money for another couch before the man's progeny destroyed Bobby's whole house.

With the siblings watching some reality television show, their parents and Bobby were in the kitchen murmuring. The Bennett family had gone out to the trailer to sleep. Hailey took a deep breath and exhaled quietly. The night was calm, yet Hailey wasn't at ease.

"You good?" Aiden asked.

"Yeah," Hailey shrugged. "Just feels like something's coming."

"Something's always coming," Aiden stated. "We'll be ready."

Aiden sounded so matter of fact. So sure that come what may, the Winchesters would prevail. Of course, they had a decent track record, family deaths notwithstanding.

"Dean, why did you rebuild my motorcycle?" Hailey asked.

"I needed something to keep busy," Dean shrugged. "You loved that bike."

"You hated it," Hailey scoffed.

"I wasn't exactly thrilled on how it was acquired," Dean grumbled.

"Understatement," Sam laughed.

The ringing of Aiden's cellphone interrupted the eldest Winchester brother's retort. All four siblings shot a questioning look towards the device before looking to Aiden. It was close to midnight, not exactly the time for phone calls.

"Who is it?" Sam asked.

"It's Reid," Aiden replied. He took the phone, answering it, and putting it on speakerphone. "Hey, Reid, you got all of us, man."

"Hey guys," Reid greeted. "We have a bit of a situation here in New Orleans."

"What are you doing in New Orleans?" Dean questioned.

"There's a coven of witches here," Reid explained. "They just did a ritual which made their coven stronger, but there have been aftershocks all over the country. That kind of power is a ripple effect."

"What kind of ritual?" Aiden wondered.

"The sacrificial kind," Reid said. "Their power comes from their ancestors. The sacrifice flows into the earth, but not all of it stayed in New Orleans. With the devil around, we figured that you all needed to know."

"You need us there?" Dean offered.

"Yeah," Reid sighed. "The coven actually wants to meet you all."

"We'll be there in two days."

"Safe travels, guys," Reid replied. "See you guys soon."

Spitfire Coffee was quiet. Since it was only a little after midnight, people were still partying, not stopping for coffee. The Covenant were already waiting, when the Harvest girls walked in. They had already found a table with plenty of chairs for everyone. The owner of the coffee shop happened to be a witch. When the girls walked in, they exchanged loaded glances with the proprietor before the latter nodded.

While Maddie and Delphine went to get drinks, Astrid and Greta had paused near the table. With a quick hello to the Covenant, the girls then clasped hands, raised the hands that weren't intertwined, and said something quickly in French. Once they were done, they both sat down.

"What was that?" Caleb asked.

"Silencing spell," Astrid replied. "Our conversation won't carry. If anyone stumbles in."

Caleb couldn't help but be impressed with the Harvest girls, the way they used their abilities, without a thought. There was an effortlessness to it that frankly made him a bit jealous. The Covenant had struggled when their powers had first manifested. All the boy's parents had been negligent in teaching them exactly how powerful their magic was. Though at thirteen, they only got a taste, it was a lot more than they had expected.

It was painfully apparent how different the Nine Covens and the Covenant were in raising their young. While the Covenant was so much smaller, with only the four founding families only producing one heir each, their circle was small. The nine covens, however, had members in the hundreds, not counting their dead. The covens were also quick to teach their children all about their lineage and their magic. Teaching them control at a young age was crucial to keeping their whole community a secret.

"We were reading about the Harvest," Pogue began. "They said that it normally happens every three centuries. But, there's only been one hundred fifty-six years from the last Harvest."

"It's a new day," Astrid replied. "With Lucifer risen, the elders communed with our ancestors, and decided that an exception was to be made."

"It released a magic excess," Caleb said. "How is that something the witches need?"

"Witches can harness that energy and do whatever is needed," Greta said.

"Some witches get their powers from demons, you just gave the enemy the same advantages. How does that help us?" Caleb retorted.

"The only witches who get their powers from demons aren't witches," Maddie scoffed. "They're humans who give up their souls in exchange for powers. Witches are naturally born. We don't need demons."

"Regardless of what we do or don't, demons are powerful," Pogue said. "With the devil out, it's a whole new ballgame."

The Harvest girls exchanged a glance before all four eyes stared down Reid.

"Speaking of whole new ballgames, the ancestors have made one other thing very clear."

"What's that?" Caleb asked.

"It's actually more like two things," Delphine corrected.

"One leads to the other," Greta contradicted.

"That's not clearing things up for us," Reid snarked.

"The ancestors made two things clear," Maddie said. "The first is that they want the Covenant to merge with our coven."

Maddie didn't wait for what she said to register before continuing, "The second is that we need the Winchesters help."

"Winchesters?" Caleb repeated. "What do we have to do with the Winchesters?"

"Don't play dumb with us," Astrid sneered. "Perks of communing with the dead? We're not kept in the dark very often."

"What do you mean you want the Covenant to merge with your Coven?"

"I would have thought that would be clear," Maddie blinked.

"How do we merge when we're from Massachusetts?" Caleb questioned. "And, we don't practice ancestral magic."

"Not all the covens practice ancestral magic," Astrid stated. "You'll be allowed to operate as normal, you'll just register the regent as your leader."

"Why?" Pogue wondered.

"The ancestors willed it so."

"That's it?" Reid scoffed. "No explanations?"

"They're not exactly a forthright bunch," Maddie laughed. "They willed it so mote it be."

"Or what?"

"Or we'll feel their wrath," Astrid said. "The dead aren't to be trifled with."

"If you want the Winchester's, they'll be here in two days," Reid said.

"Wonderful," Astrid nodded. "In the meantime, you can think over merging covens."

The Harvest Girls rose to their feet at once, moving to leave.

"Wait!" Caleb called. "That's it?"

"That's it," Delphine repeated. "See you in two days, gentlemen."

With that, the Harvest girls swept out of the coffee shop as quickly as they came in, leaving the Covenant in stunned silence. All four men exchanged glances seemingly bewildered.

"What the hell was that, man?" Reid complained.

"I don't know," Caleb grumbled. "Let's get back to the hotel."

He glanced to where the owner was standing. It seemed like New Orleans wasn't going to be a quick in-and-out.

"Your cousin needs you all in New Orleans?" John Winchester stated.

The Winchester family had once again convened in Bobby's basement. The Winchester siblings had learned from their last mistake and decided to let their parent's know of their imminent departure.

"The whole covenant is down there, Dad," Hailey said. "Reid sounded stressed."

"What did he say?" John asked.

"That a coven down there did a ritual," Dean stated. "The sacrificial kind."

"Oh, shit," Mary exclaimed.

John turned to look towards his wife, seeing her horrified expression immediately raised his hackles.

"Mar?" John whispered. He reached out and took her hand.

"My dad had crossings with the French Quarter Coven," Mary explained. "Hunters aren't welcome in New Orleans."

"What does that mean?" Sam wondered.

"Have you ever hunted down there?" Mary asked.

"No," Aiden replied. "In all our year's hunting, we never have. What about you, Dad?"

"No, Ads, I haven't," John said.

"There's a reason for that," Mary said. "The Regent of the nine covens of New Orleans controls the city alongside the vampire king, Marcel Gerard, and the werewolf alpha couple, Victoria and Oliver Martel."

"Witches, vampires, and werewolves?" John gaped.

"They call themselves the faction; they also have humans who know what they are," Mary continued. "It's the only city I know of that allows supernatural creatures. They have rules, and if anyone steps outside those rules, they're dealt with. No hunters necessary."

"Apparently, they want to meet with us," Hailey said. "That's what Reid said."

"I'd say our reputation precedes us," Dean shrugged.

"They want Winchesters, then they have all of us," John said. "I'm not letting you all go down there by yourselves."

The tone of finality in their father's voice was one all the Winchester children were familiar with. They also knew better than to argue against that tone. Once John Winchester made up his mind, there was no changing it.

A half-hour later, John's truck, that Bobby had kept, along with the impala were driving towards New Orleans. The Winchester siblings were in the impala, while their parents were in the truck.

"New Orleans sounds insane," Hailey mused, breaking the silence.

"Vampires, witches, werewolves, and humans all working together," Dean stated. "Gotta say, I've seen a lot, but that sounds wacky."

"With all the ghost stories tracing back to New Orleans, it is weird that no hunter has ever tried to go there," Sam said.

"Well, if it's no hunters allowed," Dean sighed, "it may be that they were turned away."

"Or killed," Hailey said.

"What the fuck are we walking into," Dean muttered.

"Honestly, guys, checking into local obituaries nothing really rings any alarms," Aiden said, looking up from the laptop. "Sure, there may be some hauntings, but no tourists or locals have been murdered in almost thirty years. Whatever monster alliance they have down there, it seems to be working."

At Dean and Sam's dubious expressions, Aiden shrugged. "All I'm saying is if we go in there all shoot first, ask questions later we may be causing more harm than good."

"We go in quiet," Dean agreed.

"As quiet as the Winchesters can," Hailey laughed. "Rolling up with an envoy may be a bit much."

"Like Dad was going to be left behind," Sam scoffed.

"And if Mom knows about how they run things, we may be able to get out without bloodshed."

If only the Winchesters were ever that lucky.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I want to make things very clear, while I write for myself and I do it because I enjoy it, it's hard to share it when no one is reviewing it, letting me know what they like, don't like or otherwise engaging with the story. When it feels like I'm just throwing this into the abyss, I just start writing and not sharing. I am doing this for free, out of my own time. I don't owe updates, especially when reviews are so low, compared to the previous story in this verse. SO if you're wondering how to get this story updated faster, show me there is an audience for it. Help me, help you.