A/N: Anything you recognise from the Supernatural series is obviously not mine. I only own Avery and Aubrey Cooper and their story (and their parents, Noah and Olivia)

"Will you please get your ass in gear?!" Avery called out to her sister, who was yet to appear in the doorway that she had left open, leading out onto the front porch. Ava glanced at her watch, sucking in a deep breath of the lightly crisp morning air, the sun just beginning to peek over the dark horizon. Yes, they were up a lot earlier than they usually would be when they weren't working, but considering they had a fair drive ahead of them, it would be best to get as early a start as possible.

The eldest Cooper sister clapped her hands together in exaggerated glee as Aubrey appeared in the doorway, hair pulled into a high ponytail and duffle bag hitched up over her shoulder.

"Slow your roll princess, I'm coming." Her boots stomped against the wooden porch steps as she made her way towards the car, and her impatient sister, swinging her bag off her shoulder and into the truck bed of the Chevy Pickup their dad had spent the last who knows how many years trying to piece back together. It seemed to be a thing with the men in the Cooper sister's lives, they just loved cars.

Avery was the first in the truck, adjusting the seat and mirror before pulling the seatbelt across her chest and shoving the keys into the ignition. Aubrey slumped into the passenger seat to the right, dropping a second, smaller bag, at her feet and digging a case of cassettes out of the glove box. Yes, it may have been 2005 but this truck was yet to be blessed with something as simple as a CD drive, so cassettes it was. Their dad was old fashioned like that.

"Mom made us sandwiches." Aubrey muttered, the engine roaring into life as she flicked through the cassettes to find the one she was looking for.

"She's such a white picket fence housewife, it's adorable. Turkey on rye?" Ava's eyes flicked in either direction as she pulled out of the driveway and onto the street.

"Of course, and like four bags of chips, I think she's worried we don't eat." A quiet hum of approval ended Aubrey's sentence as she located the desired cassette and popped it into the player. Avery laughed, winding down her window and turning up the music a little more before sinking back into her worn leather seat.

"You'd think the woman didn't raise us at all."

They were about three hours into their five and a half hour journey, windows down and sunshine glaring onto the dark paint of the truck, some 80's rock song blaring through the old radio, when Aubrey moved to turn the volume down, lolling her head to the side to glance at her sister.

"Do you think John's okay?" Avery's eyes flicked to her right before returning to the road with a quiet scoff.

"What do you care, you always hated the guy." It was true that, both of the sisters in fact, had never been reserved about the way they felt towards John Winchester. It was to be expected of course, Sam and Dean were their friends and they had been there every time the man had disappeared before turning up bloodied and bruised, dragging his boys out of the safety of the Cooper home on some mad mission once again. They'd been there to see every sleepless night, every repressed emotion and every argument that Sam and Dean had to suffer because of that man. Their dislike was certainly warranted. Aubrey paused to think about her words before responding.

"I didn't hate him, I just thought he was a bit... intense."

"Yeah well, I wouldn't have blamed you if you did hate him. I sure as hell did." Avery muttered in response, her jaw tensing slightly before she sighed out a breath. "Look, this is John Winchester, he knows what he's doing. He'll be fine."

As much as she tried, she knew her words didn't sound convincing, but thankfully her sister thought best not to mention that, opting for a final reply before allowing the music to fill the silence once again.

"Yeah... you're probably right."

The tires of the truck crunched against loose gravel as they travelled along the driveway leading to the old house in the centre of the junkyard. It was hard to believe that, bar a few cars coming and going over the years, this place had barely changed since the Coopers girls were children. The pale blue tow truck, that looked as though it had seen better days, sat in its usual spot out the front of the house to the right, while a large pile of tires mirrored it's position on the left.

Avery parked the truck beside Bobby's, killing the engine and unbuckling her belt, throwing the sandwich wrapper and chip packed over her shoulder and into the back seat before slipping out of the door.

The sisters each grabbed their respective bags from the truck bed, offering each other matching smirks as they heard a clanging of metal followed by a few colourful expletives. At least they knew he was home. The front door was unlocked as usual, so they headed straight in, dropping their bags in the hallway and continuing on through to the back yard, where they were met with the familiar sight of Bobby Singer, denim clad legs poking out from beneath a rusty beige car that looked as though even divine intervention wouldn't save it at this point. Avery loudly cleared her throat, folding her arms over her chest with a grin.

"Well if it ain't my two favourite girls." She mimicked the old man's voice with a scary amount of accuracy, earning a snort from Aubrey as she hopped up to sit on the hood of another rusty old car nearby.

There was a grin on the man's face as he slipped out from beneath the car, his amusement tainted by a hint of confusion.

"What in gods name are you two doin here, huh?" He questioned, wiping his hands off on the rag that draped over his shoulder before climbing to his feet.

"Thought we'd pay our favourite grumpy old man a visit."

"How thoughtful," If he was offended at all by the inference about his attitude, it didn't show. Instead, he flung the oily rag into a nearby toolbox and started towards the girls, arms held out in front of him. "Now get over here and give this grumpy old man a hug."

Avery reached him in just a few steps, as Aubrey hopped off of the car and followed suit, both girls slipping into his arms and accepting his tight squeeze with contentment. The man seemed to drag the hug out for a little longer than was normal, but the girls chalked it up to him being out here in this big house alone all the time, and were more than happy to offer the affection he clearly needed. Aubrey was the first to break from the hug, tightening her ponytail which had begun to loosen and slipping out of her jacket before turning back to the others.

"We brought groceries!" She called back to the pair as she made her way back towards the house. As they always did when they visited, they stopped on the way to stock up on a few essentials, and a whole load of non-essentials, to fill the shelves of the refrigerator that, more often than not, was reserved for a few easy to cook meals and bottles of beer.

"We're dining like kings tonight, Bobby!" Avery added, punching the air dramatically. Bobby simply slung his arm over her shoulder, leading them both back towards the house.

"We always do when you girls come around."

The rest of the day was spent, much to Bobby's disapproval, with the girls giving the house a clean and tidy, which he insisted was unnecessary as he grumbled about how he wouldn't be able to find anything now. While Aubrey continued on her cleaning tirade, successfully reorganizing Bobby's entire bookcase before he could stop her, Avery turned her attention to food, thankful that the kitchen was one area of the house that wasn't filled with a ridiculous amount of clutter so that she would have space to prepare their meal.

Bobby had, of course, muttered a few words of disapproval as he noted the amount of vegetables on his plate, though Avery had been quick to reprimand his childishness and he had soon quietened down to enjoy his food with a grateful smile. As always, Aubrey managed to skip out on doing the dishes by announcing she was desperate for a shower and making a hasty escape up the stairs, leaving Ava glued to her spot at the table as Bobby insisted she relax and he would get the dishes cleaned up.

He was just returning from the kitchen, drying off his hands with a tea towel, as Avery returned to the dining table with two glasses and a half full bottle of Bobby's favourite whiskey. She shot the man a smile as he hummed in approval, frowning as she stopped pouring at half a glass and gesturing for her to continue. Despite her clear disapproval she continued, filling the glass a little more before pouring her own and stoppering the bottle.

They sat in silence for a moment, sipping their respective drinks while they each turned over their own thoughts. That was until Bobby placed his glass back on the table and leaned back in his chair, folding his arms over his chest and locking Ava in his gaze.

"So, how are ya really, Ava?" She took one more slow sip of her drink, peering over the top of her glass at his judgmental yet soft eyes.

"I don't know what you mean." Despite the short tone of her words, the smile playing at the corners of her lips showed she wasn't actually bothered by his question. Bobby Singer always knew what was up.

"I might be old but I still got a workin' brain." He grumbled with a roll of his eyes. Avery sighed, pausing for a moment before sinking back in her chair and taking another sip of the amber liquid.

"Bree's turnin' into a real good hunter, Bobby." He nodded in silent understanding before responding.

"You can't protect her forever sweetheart. She's a growin' girl and lord knows she's stubborn as a mule. She's gonna do what she wants to do and ain't nothin' gonna stop her." Ava nodded with a laugh, before casting her eyes down and shaking her head.

"I know that, where do you think she gets her attitude from?"

"Oh girly I know exactly were she get's it from." He leaned closer, nudging her arm playfully with a wiggle of his brows.

"She's just reckless, you know. She's self sacrificing and it's gonna get her killed." The man seemed to ponder this for a minute before breathing out a laugh at whatever thought had occurred to him.

"You know, lookin' at you two girls is like looking at much prettier versions of Sam and Dean Winchester." Ava rolled her eyes at this, yet she couldn't help but agree.

"I'm startin' to think I'll never be rid of those boys." Her response was muttered, more of an outward thought than a statement, though it caught Bobby's attention nonetheless.

"What do you mean?" Avery straightened in her seat, cupping her hands around her glass as she placed it on the table in front of her.

"Dean showed up at our place while Bree and I were on a hunt. Apparently John's gone AWOL and Dean's on a mission to find him." While Bobby seemed interested in the revelation, he certainly didn't seem concerned.

"That man always had those boys sufferin'. I'm sure he's fine, it's not unusual for him to disappear for a while. Always turns up eventually." Ava nodded in agreement, well versed on the way John Winchester conducted business.

"Yeah, that's what I said... you heard from either of them recently?" Before recently, it had been a long while since Ava had even thought about the brothers, let alone asked about them, though if they would show up in her life unexpectedly after lord knows how many years of silence, of course her interest would be piqued.

"Not a peep. As far as I know, Sam's still at Stanford working hard and Dean's... well-"

"He's Dean?" Ava cut in, describing the eldest Winchester brother in the only way that was necessary. Bobby nodded in agreement before reclaiming his drink and taking a long swig.

"Anyway, stop your worrying about them boys they can take care of themselves. You should go get a few hours sleep, I got plenty of jobs for you girls to get done tomorrow."

"Ah, unpaid labour, now I remember why I come visit." She grabbed her glass, finishing off the drink and sliding it across the table where Bobby caught it with ease.

"Take that attitude up to bed missy." He pointed a stern finger her way as she hopped up from her chair, leaning down to place a quick kiss on his cheek before heading for the stairs.

"Love you too, Bobby."

"Night kid."

Ava woke up the following morning to warm rays filtering in through the grubby bedroom window, illuminating the dust that danced in the air above her. Quiet chatter and the clatter of plates and cups was audible from downstairs, but instead of getting straight up she sunk back into the pillows for a moment. It was easy sometimes, to lay back in soft sheets, watch the morning light up the room and pretend that life was normal, as if in a few days from now she wouldn't be back to swinging a machete, or digging up graves to salt and burn bones. You know, the usual perks of the job.

Unfortunately, that wasn't her life, and there was no way it ever would be, not matter how much little Ava and Sam had wished it all those years ago. They weren't naive, they knew they stood very little chance of a normal life, but at least Sam was working at it. Here Ava was, accepting her place in the 'family business' with little complaint.

Once she had thoroughly pondered the meaning of her life, she dragged herself from the sheets and towards the bathroom, where she washed off the previous days drive and gave her hair the much needed conditioning it craved. After digging through her duffle bag for a minute, stopping to peer outside to get an idea of the days weather, she opted for a light sun dress, white with pale blue flowers, and slipped her feet into a well worn pair of white converse that she had always found comfortable.

The kitchen was quiet when she got downstairs, Bobby in the dining room flicking through a newspaper as Aubrey focused her efforts on putting together some semblance of breakfast, which appeared as though it was just multiple plates of bacon and sausages. The younger sister peered over her shoulder, flipping a rasher of bacon while shooting her sister a smile.

"Kind of you to finally join us, sleepin' beauty!" Ava narrowed her eyes, leaning against the doorframe with folded arms.

"I'm gonna ignore that purely because that bacon you're cookin' smells divine." At this, Aubrey picked up the pan and scraped a few rashers onto a plate, along with a couple of sausages.

"Toast and juice is on the table." Ava took the plate from her with a wink before turning towards the dining room.

"You're a star. Mornin' Bobby." He flipped over the page of his newspaper as she dropped into the chair beside him.

"Mornin' sweetheart." Ava made quick work of digging into her breakfast, shoving half a rasher of bacon into her mouth and swigging from her glass of orange juice.

"So, what's on our list of chores today?" Bobby glanced up from his paper before folding it and dropping it onto the table just as Aubrey joined the pair with her own breakfast as well as a plate for him. As if to punctuate her sentence, Ava finished speaking and immediately shoved three rashers of bacon into her mouth at once, earning a frown from the old man.

"Your pretty dresses ain't foolin' anyone into thinkin' you're a lady." Dropping her fork onto her plate with a roll of her eyes, Ava opted not to encourage him with a retort.

"Just tell me what slave labour you got lined up for me."

"I got a truck out back I've been stumped on how to fix up for weeks now. Thought you could take a look." She nodded as he turned to her sister. "And Aubrey, I gotta run to the store for a few things, thought you could come along with me?"

They finished up their breakfast with only minor complaints from Ava about how she was given the messy work while Bree got a fun little trip to the store. They all knew that despite her complaints, Ava was more than happy doing the dirty work, as long as she got to do it undisturbed. As she frequently reminded everyone around her, silence was golden.

The sisters worked together to tidy up the kitchen this time, making the task much shorter work than it would have been with one, before Aubrey and Bobby jumped in his truck and headed for the store, leaving Ava with a vague idea of what this truck needed doing to it. As soon as they were gone, she headed off in search of Bobby's tools and the aforementioned truck, not wasting any time getting stuck in with the repairs.

About half an hour had passed and there was no sign of Bobby and Aubrey's return just yet. Ava was still hard at work, leaning as far as she could under the hood to reach the part of the engine she was currently repairing. Her hands were covered in grease and grime, though somehow she'd managed to keep her dress looking surprisingly presentable. She had just dropped the wrench back into the tool box and begun searching for the next tool when a noise from inside caught her attention. From her location, she couldn't see any movement inside the house, but the sound of a door closing told her that there was definitely someone inside. Figuring it was probably just Bobby and Bree returning from the store, she made her way to the side of the house to see if she could see Bobby's truck out the front. The only truck out front was the black pick-up the sisters had arrived in, no sign of the dusty old blue tow truck she had expected.

She was back over at the toolbox in a few quick strides, reclaiming the large wrench she had just thrown back in there and heading towards the house, staying as light on her feet as possible so as not to alert whoever was in there of her presence. A quick peek through the back door gave her a clear view of the kitchen where a man was lingering, flicking through the pages of a book Bobby had left open on the counter. Moving as silently as she could, she made her way over to the doorway that led out of the kitchen and towards the back of the house, pressing her back against the wall and waiting for the man to come her way, wrench held close to her chest.

She held her breath as the heavy thud of footsteps on wooden floor approached her, tightening her grip around the wrench as she steadied her footing and readied herself to attack. Her eyes were on the floor by the door frame, and the moment she saw a glimpse of a boot step through she swung, twisting gracefully on her front foot and using her back to add a bit more power and stability to her swing. Unfortunately, the intruder was quick, ducking and narrowly avoiding a wrench to the head, but Avery was quicker. She continued through the movement of her swing, turning and sweeping her leg out towards the man, catching him at his ankles and swiping his feet out from under him, resulting in a loud thud as he hit the floor with as little grace as you could imagine someone would in that situation.

"What the hell!" Avery remained defensive, wrench in the air should she need to attack again. Though now the man was on the floor in front of her, she had a moment to really look at him, narrowing her eyes and tightening her grip on the wrench as she assessed the situation.

"Dean?"

"Yeah! Obviously!" He waved his hands in exasperation, rubbing at his shoulder where it had hit the floor hard. Realising she was no longer in imminent danger, Ava allowed the wrench to clatter to the floor, offering somewhat of an apologetic smile at the man before holding her hand out to help him up.

"Dean Winchester what in the hell are you doin' sneakin' around Bobby's kitchen?!" He took her hand with a grunt, climbing to his feet and rolling out his shoulder. He gave the girl a once over, before brushing himself off and adjusting his leather jacket with a huff.

"Well I'm lookin' for Bobby, obviously." Never in the mood for people's attitudes, and certainly not in the mood for Dean Winchester's attitude, she turned on her heel and swept back out of the door, reclaiming the wrench on the way.

"He's at the store with Bree," she called out over her shoulder as he followed behind at a distance, pausing to glance back at him once. "They should be back soon."

Dropping the wrench back into the toolbox and grabbing the tool she had been looking for before the rude interruption, she leaned back across the truck's engine, continuing with her tinkering.

"What do you want with Bobby anyway? You find your dad yet?"

"How do you-" Dean began to respond, but Ava didn't need to hear the rest of his question.

"You were at my house, talking to my mom and dad. Of course I know." She explained, holding out her hand behind her and requesting a specific tool, which he quickly handed her.

"No sign of him yet, hence why I'm here." He leaned his hip against the truck, arms folded over his chest as he watched the girl work with curious eyes.

"Well, Bobby ain't heard from him, so he won't be much help." She dropped her current tool into his hand, demanding the next which she was promptly handed.

It had been years since Dean had laid eyes on either of the Cooper sisters, and admittedly it had also been years since he even had a thought about them. Sammy was always the one who got on with them, especially Ava, so they'd never really remained on Dean's radar. Though now he was here, seeing the girl in front of him, covered in oil and grease yet styling out a sun dress like she was on her way to a garden party, he couldn't help but wonder why he'd been so quick to dismiss. The last time he'd seen Avery Cooper she was a sixteen year old whirlwind, the attitude of her mom and the quick wit of her dad. The only thing eighteen year old Dean had seen when he looked at her was a bossy know-it-all who was intent on making his days that much harder. But she sure had grown. And in all the right places he might add.

Noting the silence that had fallen between them, Ava ceased her tinkering and glanced back over her shoulder at the man.

"Got something' to say, Winchester?" She asked with a frown, dropping her current tool back into the toolbox with a clatter. He shook his head with a smirk.

"Just didn't expect to run into the Avery Cooper today. Still hunting?"

"Of course."

"And Bree?" Avery offered a weak smile.

"Couldn't stop her if I tried." A somewhat awkward silence fell between the pair when Dean didn't respond, and so they simply stood either side of the car, watching each other with curious gazes. It was Avery who decided it was time to break the silence.

"How's Sam?" Dean's gaze shifted down at this, yet Ava's remained fixed on him, noting the way his shoulders tensed slightly at what was obviously still a sore subject.

"Hell if I know. Probably living some apple pie life at Stanford." There was irritation in his tone, but somehow Ava thought it was less to do with Sam leaving, and more to do with the fact that he had actually managed to get out, something which anyone who knew Dean was aware would never be an option for him.

"Is that such a bad thing?" Avery softened her tone, and Dean lifted his head with a quick shake before meeting her eye.

"Not bad, just unrealistic. For people like us anyway." Avery couldn't help but feel a little offended that he had referred to them as 'us', effectively lumping them in together. She liked to think that she had somewhat of a more positive work-life balance than the Winchesters.

"Don't I know it." She muttered in response before sighing, "Well, I for one am glad he's managed to get out, make a life for himself that doesn't involve nearly dying every other day."

Dean scoffed. "Yeah yeah, it's all peaches and cream ain't it."

"Bitter, much?" Ava responded with a smirk, one which Dean immediately matched.

"I'm not bitter."

"Mm-hmm, sure thing honey." She waved him away before kicking the toolbox to the side and gesturing towards the truck. "Make yourself useful and give that key a turn."

Surprisingly, he did as he was told without a single word of complaint, pulling the car door open and leaning in to turn the key. The engine groaned and turned over a couple of times before miraculously stuttering into life. Avery hummed in surprise, clasping her hands together with a proud smile before wiping her oily hands absentmindedly onto her dress with a contented sigh.

"Not bad, for a girl." She quirked a brow and coughed out a laugh at Dean's comment as he strolled past her with a grin. Hurrying to turn off the engine, she followed after him across the yard and back into the house.

"Nice seeing ya, Avery." She quirked her head curiously, stopping to lean against the door frame.

"You're going? I thought you wanted to see Bobby?" Dean shook head with a shrug of his shoulders.

"I wanted to know if he'd heard from my dad, he hasn't. I have other avenues to explore."

"You sure? He'd love to see you, and I'm makin' mac and cheese for dinner tonight." Dean laughed with shake of his head and Ava couldn't help but enjoy the sound, one that was so rare to hear from the eldest Winchester boy. As much as she would have liked him to stay a little longer, there was no telling Dean Winchester what to do, she'd learned that many years ago, so she simply nodded with a smile.

"Suit yourself…" He offered no more than a nod and a quirk of his lips before he was out the door and heading towards his car.

"Hey Dean," He paused with his fingers on the car door handle, glancing back over his shoulder at the girl in the oily summer dress who watched him with soft eyes from the doorway. "I hope you find your dad."

He didn't reply with words, simply nodding at her before climbing into the car and disappearing once again.

Avery didn't mention Dean's visit to Bobby or Aubrey when they got back from the store. She honestly couldn't be sure why she didn't tell them, but a part of her knew how Bobby felt about those boys. He had practically raised them as his own, given John's penchant for disappearing with little to no notice, and dropping the boys off at the Singer residence in the middle of the night. He would never show it, but he would be devastated if he knew Dean had been there and not stuck around to say hi. So she kept it to herself.

Bobby had been elated, and thoroughly unsurprised, that Ava had managed to fix the truck. Apparently he had every faith in the girl's ability to find her way around an engine, something which she was extremely proud to hear. The Mac and Cheese had gone down a treat, with Aubrey even saying how it was Mac and cheese fit for a king. Ava couldn't help but think that Dean probably would have enjoyed it.

The rest of their evening was spent as it always was when the sisters visited, lounging on the worn sofa, trading hunting stories and flicking through old journals before heading off to bed.

The following morning came far too soon for the girl's liking, and they had lingered in their beds for a little longer than usual. By the sounds of quiet talking from downstairs, Bobby was already awake, though the lack of audible response to his words suggested he was on a phone call, rather than with someone else in person.

Aubrey was still locked away in the bathroom, no doubt spending far too long on her morning skincare routine, as Ava passed and made her way downstairs.

"Mornin' Bobby." He hung up the phone just as she entered the lounge, stuffing it into his back pocket and tearing a piece of paper from the notepad he had been scribbling in.

"Mornin' Ava, where's that sister of yours? I got a job for you." Ava yawned, scraping her fingers through her slightly wild curls and pulling them back into a high ponytail.

"Another truck needs fixin'?" Bobby shook his head as he handed over the torn piece of paper, upon which he had scribbled down an address.

"Not that kind of job."

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