Chapter 7: Chained


Listen to the wind blow

Watch the sun rise

Run in the shadows

Damn your love, damn your lies

And if you don't love me now

You will never love me again

I can still hear you saying

You would never break the chain (never break the chain)

And if you don't love me now (you don't love me now)

You will never love me again

I can still hear you saying (hear you saying)

You would never break the chain (never break the chain)

Listen to the wind blow

Down comes the night

Run in the shadows

Damn your love, damn your lies

Break the silence

Damn the dark, damn the light

And if you don't love me now

You will never love me again

I can still hear you saying

You would never break the chain (never break the chain)

Ty had fallen asleep by the time Dean finally crawled into bed. He'd tried hard not to wake her, but she was a very light sleeper. She immediately rolled over to face him, scooting her body over to his. Dean wrapped his arms around her, but he remained tense while he waited to see if she was going to press him about why he'd been brooding outside by himself for so long. Thankfully, she didn't, just snuggled into his chest and went back to sleep. Dean stroked her hair for a few moments, finally relaxing but still unable to let go enough to find sleep.

It was strange to be lying there with her, having such a peaceful moment. It felt like being in the eye of a storm and instinctively he knew that Ruby's arrival would mark the start of the next wave of chaos. He wished he could make himself do what he'd done the day before, just focus on the moment, enjoy it while it lasted, but it seemed like more and more these days, since his dad had been gone, he could hear his voice in his head: 'What are you doing, boy? I asked you to do one thing, save your brother, and you couldn't even manage that. I won't be around to bail you out next time so what makes you think you can protect her?'

Those words in his head had Dean gritting his teeth because he wanted to deny them, but he couldn't. His whole life, no matter how insane things got, it always seemed like Dad knew what to do. A big part of him wished he was here now to take charge, tell them how to handle this, because this was bigger than anything they'd had to deal with before and, to be completely honest, Dean had no clue how they were going to survive it. Even when Dad had been missing, even after all the times he didn't answer a phone call no matter how desperate the situation, deep down Dean had still had this faith that if things were bad enough, Dad would show up and take care of it. Now it felt like that place inside of him where that faith had been, giving him a spark of hope no matter how small, was just empty.

And at the same time, he was just so freaking mad. Mad at his dad for leaving them to fend for themselves, mad at him for the words that lingered in his head, mad at himself for letting things get to this, mad at the world for the injustice of it all. It felt like he had this rage boiling under the surface of his skin most of the time now and he didn't know how to deal with it so he'd done his best to ignore it, pretend he was fine, distract himself with other things. But so far it wasn't going away.

Dean didn't know how long he spent laying there. He might have dozed off a few times, but if he did, it wasn't for long. He knew he should sleep, but when sunlight leaked in through the curtains, he gave up trying. He slipped out of bed, a smile tugging at his lips when Ty groaned in protest but not quite making it all the way across his face. He pressed a kiss to her temple, "Go back to sleep."

Ty's eyes blinked open and she shook her head even though her gaze was still clouded with sleep, "Nuh uh. You're awake, I'm awake."

Dean gave her a grin, "Nah, this is a dream. You dream about me all the time, right?"

Despite his efforts, Ty was already looking more awake. She sent him a teasing grin back and replied, "Sure, but you talk a lot less in my dreams."

Dean tried to make the sound that escaped him in response seem indignant, but he couldn't help his amusement. It surprised him that she could do that, actually make him almost laugh given the funk he'd been in all night.

Ty climbed out of bed and wrapped her arms loosely around his waist. She was looking at him searchingly so Dean tried not to let anything show on his face, instead just raising a questioning eyebrow at her.

"You okay?" Ty finally asked.

"I'm fine." Dean answered with a shrug. He flashed her another grin to prove it and, to distract her from pressing further, asked, "Wanna join me for a shower?"

Ty still wasn't convinced, no matter how many times Dean insisted he was fine. She knew he'd barely slept. What she didn't know was how to help him, besides just being there, offering whatever support she could. And, when it came to it, fighting like hell to protect him and everyone else. Maybe when this Ruby person got here, whoever she was, she'd have the information they needed for her to do that.

So while she didn't believe he was fine, she still took his hand and led him after her towards the bathroom. His wide grin in response to her actions was encouraging, made her feel like things were almost normal. Well, as normal as they ever were for them.

Afterwards, when it became clear that they had used up all the hot water and were bound to get chewed out by at least one of the others for it, they both got dressed and headed downstairs. The day had dawned bright and clear with no trace of the rain or clouds from the day before. Noises from the rest of the house indicated the others were starting to stir. Still not feeling particularly in the mood for much company outside of Ty's, Dean motioned towards the door, "Never did get any work done on the car yesterday. Might as well get it done now while we wait for Ruby. I got a feeling we'll be hitting the road soon."

"Okay." Ty nodded, "I'll come get you when breakfast is ready. Any requests for what I should manipulate Bobby into making for us?"

Dean shook his head, still mystified by the girl's power over the older man. One of these days he was going to have to call him on being such a softie under that gruff exterior. Course, he'd have to make sure he wasn't armed when he did it.

Dean headed out to his car, moving it around back to the garage to work on it, make sure she was in perfect condition to face whatever was coming next. It was comforting working on the car, knowing that with the Impala, he could fix whatever was wrong. It was starting to feel like the only part of his life he could say that about. He was still avoiding talking to Sam about their Dad, avoiding talking to Ty about their relationship, avoiding talking to anyone about his fears about this looming war. He didn't know how to even begin dealing with any of that. But an engine rattle? That he could deal with.

While Dean focused on his car, Ty lingered in the kitchen. Feeling a little guilty about abusing her relationship with Bobby, she decided to make some coffee, even though she personally despised the beverage. Besides, she knew everyone else in the household would like some and it gave her something to do.

Sam was the first one to wander into the kitchen, following the smell of the coffee brewing. He smiled at her gratefully when she poured him a cup and took a long sip.

"Sam…" Ty ventured into the silence.

"Yeah?" Sam asked, questioning gaze finding her over the coffee mug.

"I'm worried about Dean."

Sam set the mug down on the table, "Me, too."

Fidgeting uncomfortably, Ty kept her gaze on the floor, "I don't...I don't know how to talk to him about it…"

"Where is he?" Sam interrupted.

Ty looked up and saw the determined expression on the younger Winchester's face. She motioned towards the door, "Working on the car out back."

Sam nodded and immediately moved to go find him. Ty watched him go, hoping that Sam would know what to say, hoping that he wasn't in just as bad a place as his brother. Sighing, she started opening cabinets, looking for something else to keep her occupied.

Sam found Dean exactly where Ty had said he would be, out back in Bobby's yard, working on the Impala. He tried to be casual as he approached him, but couldn't quite muster the energy. He didn't want to fight with Dean. The emotional strain of everything else going on was taking its toll on him as it was, but he'd already decided that they had to have this conversation before Ruby arrived and they were busy with something else his brother could use as an excuse to avoid talking about their problems. And after Ty's confirmation of his own worries about his brother, he knew he couldn't wait any longer. When he reached the Impala, he didn't bother with any preamble, "You were right."

"About what?" Dean asked, continuing to keep his focus on the car.

"About me and Dad." Sam said, meeting his gaze over the roof of the car, "I'm sorry that one of the last things I did with him was try to pick a fight. I'm sorry that I spent most of my life angry at him. I mean, for all I know, he died...for me...thinking that I hate him."

Sam took a deep breath, trying to keep it under control, but he could feel the despair just under the surface. He pushed on anyway, "So you're right. What I'm doing right now...hunting Lilith...it is too little. It's too late. I miss him, man. It's my fault he's gone and I feel guilty as hell. And I'm not all right...not at all…"

He could feel his voice starting to waiver, felt the tears starting to burn his eyes, and paused to take another shaky breath, before looking up at his brother again.

"But neither are you. That much I know."

Dean's face was a mask, not giving away anything about how he was taking Sam's speech. Sam hadn't really expected much else, but he'd felt he had to say his piece anyway.

"I'll let you get back to work." he finished, turning away and heading back to the house.

He'd just reached the back door, had it open to step into the kitchen. Ty had looked up when he opened the door, concern on her face, mouth open to ask him something. But before either of them could make another move, they heard the sound of glass shattering in the yard. Sam turned towards the sound, felt Ty join him at the door. In the distance, back the way he'd come from, they could see Dean. He had a crowbar in his hands and was wildly, almost frantically, striking the trunk of the Impala with all his might. Sam and Ty both watched, frozen in shock, as he wailed on his precious car, the sounds of the thuds reaching them across the distance and making them both flinch like they were blows. It seemed to go on forever before the crowbar fell out of Dean's hands and he finally stopped, just standing there and staring at the damage.

The stillness was broken by Ty moving to head into the yard. Sam jumped, grabbing her arm to stop her.

"Don't, Ty. Leave him be." he said, feeling instinctively that his brother needed to be left alone.

Ty glanced back at him, the look in her eyes making him release her arm, "I can't."

There was no way she could see him going through that kind of pain and not do something. But she waited a moment until Sam slowly nodded his acceptance before she continued outside, feeling like she was being pulled by a magnet connected straight to her heart.

She moved slowly, cautiously, like she was approaching a dangerous animal, which in some ways was not a bad metaphor for Dean right now. She knew he had to be aware of her approach, but he still hadn't moved.

Ty reached the Impala and almost gasped at how bad the damage to the trunk was. He'd put a hole clean through it. Her hand reached out to touch the car, but she stopped herself. She also kept herself from looking at Dean, gaze firmly fixed on the car, voice soft, when she spoke.

"Can you fix it?"

Dean took a deep breath, pulling himself back together, before his gaze refocused on Ty and the Impala. Her question and the way she was looking at the car reminded him of the last time they'd talked over his wounded baby. He remembered the feeling that had hit him in that moment, a fleeting sense of certainty about his feelings for this girl. And when they'd picked her up in Phoenix, things had looked like they were going to work out. How had everything gotten so screwed up since then? It was like everytime he managed to take a step forward, somehow he ended up half-a-mile back.

"Dean?" Ty ventured, taking a hesitant step towards him and risking a glance at his face after his prolonged silence in response to her question.

Dean caught her gaze, her eyes so full of concern, and made a decision. He'd lost his mom. For a moment, he'd lost Sam. Then, he'd lost his dad. He'd be damned if he lost anyone else he cared about. Not while he was still breathing.

"Yeah, I can fix it." He finally answered, but he wasn't looking at the car.

Somehow, he'd fix it, things between him and Ty. He had no idea how, but he was definitely tired of pushing people away, of pushing her away. Life was short, a hunter's life even shorter than most, and he didn't want to spend his alone. He knew that meant he was going to have to stop doing to her what his dad had done to him and Sam, taking off and leaving her behind in the name of protecting her, but he also knew there was no way he could handle losing her either. So, he would just have to make sure that he stood between whatever was coming and the people he kept close.

"What can I do?" Ty asked, interrupting his thoughts.

Dean shook his head. He tried to give her a smile but couldn't quite manage it, "No, you're good. I got this. Help Sam and Bobby with the Lilith stuff. I'll be in in a bit."

Ty hesitated, but even though she could tell he was still upset, he did seem to have relaxed a tad, like maybe he'd accepted something. The pain she'd felt radiating across the salvage yard from him had dissipated. It felt like maybe now it was okay to leave him be. But she couldn't leave without making sure he knew she was still there for him whenever he needed her so she moved forward abruptly, before she could second-guess herself, and hugged him tightly. She was relieved when he didn't stiffen or hesitate, but immediately put his arms around her in return.

"I'll just be inside, then. Let me know if you need anything." She said.

She felt him nod against the top of her head, "I will."

With a sigh Ty released him, taking a couple steps back. Before turning to go back to the house, she placed a gentle hand on the Impala and flashed Dean a small smile, "Take care of our girl."

This time the smile managed to make it to his face as he repeated, "I will."

When Ty walked back into the kitchen, she found Sam had been joined by Alex. Sam sent her a silent question with his eyes. Ty nodded in reply and did her best to give him a reassuring smile. Thankfully, Alex distracted her from continuing to dwell on her worries over the brothers.

"So, you made coffee. Feeling guilty about something? Maybe the frigid shower I just had?" Alex accused, glaring at her from where he was leaning against a counter drinking said coffee.

"Morning, sunshine." Ty replied with an unapologetic grin.

Alex grumbled something into his mug in response that Ty couldn't make out, but was almost certainly less than flattering. She opened her mouth to call him on it, but Bobby cut her off as he walked into the kitchen to join them carrying one of his many phones.

"Just got a call from a guy I know in Denver. He needs some help."

Sam frowned, "Bobby, Ruby's on her way here."

"I know that, boy, but evil don't work on your schedule." Bobby snapped.

"What's he got, Bobby?" Ty asked.

"He's not sure, but could be demonic. Sounds like there's some omens that line up with the area, too." Bobby said.

Ty glanced back in the direction where she knew Dean was working on the Impala, her eyes then traveling across the men in the room. Dean did not need this right now. At the very least, he needed to fix the car, but more than that he needed some time. And if this Ruby chick was supposed to show up sometime today and could fix the Colt, then someone had to be here to meet her. They needed that gun back in play like yesterday. But if Bobby's contact needed help, they couldn't just leave him high and dry. There was really only one solution.

"Alex and I will go." she said.

"Ty…" Sam started to protest.

Ty shook her head, "It's fine, Sam. You stay here and wait for Ruby. She'll help Bobby fix the Colt, while Alex and I handle this. Just...keep an eye on Dean for me. Don't bother him with this. We'll be back before you know it. Come on, Alex."

"But...breakfast…" Alex protested, "And I haven't even finished my coffee."

"You heard Bobby. Evil doesn't work on your schedule. Let's go." Ty said, snatching his mug from him as she moved past him and dangling it like bait as she walked backwards towards the front door.

"Evil woman. You don't mess with a man's coffee." Alex grumbled, moving after her.

Ty couldn't help but grin. Going on a hunt with Alex, joking around with him, was just such a relief after the helplessness she'd felt in the face of Dean's problems. So, even if it did feel kind of like she was betraying him by smiling when she knew Dean was in pain, she allowed herself to be pulled into the familiar camaraderie. At least this she knew how to do.

"Hey! You two, quit horsing around. I ain't done yet. Tom's tracked four bodies so far. Two couples that by all accounts looked like they took turns stabbing each other to death. No signs of struggle." Bobby snapped.

Alex froze, eyes wide as he met Ty's gaze, "That's it. The demon."

Ty didn't need to ask him what demon he meant. She felt a shudder run down her spine. There was no question now about her and Alex not going immediately on this hunt. They couldn't let this demon get away again. Not after what it had done to the both of them.

"We're going." Ty said again, all mirth gone, setting the coffee mug down and turning back towards the door.

"Damn it, I said wait a minute." Bobby snapped, "You're thinking this is the demon that possessed you?"

"And killed Alex's parents." Ty nodded.

"You can't go after it on your own." Sam protested, standing up at the table, "Ruby can fix the Colt and then…"

"No." Alex cut him off, "I'm not waiting and letting it get away again."

"Me either." Ty agreed, shooting a look at Alex to show him she was with him on this no matter what, "You can wait here, get the Colt fixed, then come join us."

"I don't like it." Bobby stated with a scowl.

"We've got to go, Bobby." Ty insisted, already feeling like they were wasting time by having this discussion, "Sam, you understand, right? We have to."

Sam did understand that obsessive need that could drive you into a hunt. It seemed like he'd been feeling it almost non-stop for the past couple years. First, there was the need to find the demon that killed his mom and Jessica and now the need to find Lilith, to somehow avenge his dad. But something about this felt wrong. His gut was telling him that they shouldn't split up. Besides, Dean would be livid if Ty took off after the demon that had possessed her without him.

"But Dean…" he finally said, knowing that was the one card he could play that might get through to Ty.

Ty hesitated. She knew Dean would demand to be there if she was going to face this particular demon, but she still felt like he needed some time and space for his own issues before trying to tackle everything else going on. Before today if you'd asked her if Dean would ever hurt the Impala, she would have laughed in your face and told you he was more likely to shoot himself in the foot. But now.. She couldn't give him much, but if she could at least give him a few more hours of peace before the shit hit the fan, then she had to try.

"No. Like I said, don't bother him with this. At least, not until you have the Colt." she finally said.

"And what are we supposed to tell him?" Bobby demanded, not liking this one bit either.

Ty did her best to flash Bobby her usual grin, "You'll think of something, Bobby."

Bobby swore and ran a hand over his face. He finally heaved a resigned sigh and grabbed a piece of paper, swiftly scribbling some information down on it and handing it to her, "Just be careful. Here's Tom's number. Call him on your way and he'll fill you in."

"Yes, sir." Ty replied, sending him a salute and schooling her face into a faux-somber expression.

"I'll keep her out of trouble." Alex promised.

"Shut up." Ty hissed at him, sending an elbow into his side.

Bobby just shook his head and the pair hurried out to start the drive. Sam sat back down at the kitchen table but he still looked less than convinced that this was the best course of action.

"Bobby, are you sure about this?" he asked.

"They'll call if they need anything." Bobby replied with more confidence than he actually felt, "Besides, I could use your help with something before any other problems crop up."

"Yeah, okay." Sam agreed, but he was still preoccupied with his own thoughts. He wondered if he should try calling Ruby again or maybe just summoning her to speed things up. But then he remembered Dean striking the Impala with the crowbar and he had to agree with Ty that his brother needed a little time. Hell, he needed some time himself if he was honest and this brief period that Ty and Alex had given them while they waited for Ruby to arrive might be their only opportunity. He didn't like it and he still had a bad feeling about it, but he reluctantly accepted the cards as they'd been dealt.

A few hours later, Ty and Alex were much closer to Denver than they should have been had they followed the posted speed limits. However, unlike most of their drives, this one was primarily tense and silent. Alex's grip on the wheel had been tight for so long that he almost couldn't feel it anymore, but all he could think about was getting there faster, finding this thing. Focusing on the destination and making the trip as fast as possible was the only thing keeping him from recalling the memory of finding his parents' bodies. There had been so much blood…

Alex pressed down harder on the gas, his truck whining a little in protest. More to distract himself than anything else, he shot a glance over towards Ty. She was leaning back in her seat, eyes staring out at the road, but absently, clearly wrapped up in her own thoughts. Alex had never been possessed and he couldn't really imagine what that might do to you, but he knew it still haunted Ty. That demon had forcibly taken control of her body from her and the only way Alex could really comprehend that was to think of it as a kind of rape. So although she'd never said as much, he knew that one of her biggest issues was feeling powerless and he figured that had to be rooted in her possession. Their reasons were different, but from practically the start of their partnership he'd always felt that she was the one person who wanted to find and end this thing as much as he did.

"Hey," he ventured into the relative silence, only the truck's straining engine competing to fill the void, "maybe you should call that guy now."

Ty jumped, startled by the sound of his voice after hours of silence, "Oh, yeah. Of course. Sorry."

Ty dug the paper from Bobby out of her pocket and dialed the number on her cell. It only rang twice before the line picked up.

"Hey, is this Tom?" Ty asked. Receiving an affirmative answer, she continued, "This is Ty, Bobby's friend. We're on our way to you, maybe two hours out. What have you got?"

Alex couldn't help glancing over at her as she listened, nodding, wondering what was being said. He felt his anxiety increasing as he stole glimpses at her face, trying to figure out if the information she was getting was good or bad. At one point her eyes widened in surprise and it was all Alex could do to keep from demanding what had been said. He shifted impatiently while he waited for her to finish the call.

Finally, Ty disconnected and Alex immediately demanded, "Well?"

"Well, apparently we're headed to Arapahoe Park Racetrack." Ty said and now Alex knew why she'd been surprised. Ty's dad was a racehorse trainer so she had grown up on racetracks, "He said both couples had visited the track before they died. First couple were regulars. The other had only gone the once, couple weeks after the first. Only things connecting them are the track and the M.O. as far as Tom or the locals can tell. Tom's been trying to pick up a trail at the track but hasn't gotten anywhere."

"Well, at least we know where to start." Alex said, once again feeling antsy to reach their destination.

"And if it's a racetrack, I can get us anywhere." Ty said confidently, "I've never been to that one but they're all basically the same. We'll find it, Alex."

Alex didn't reply, but he nodded. His foot pressed down a bit more on the gas.

Ty and Alex had not quite reached Denver when Dean finally decided that he had to go back inside and eat something. He'd made good work on the car and would have her back to looking her usual gorgeous self before much longer. Dean patted the car's newly patched trunk, silently apologizing to the vehicle, before heading back towards the house. He was a little surprised that neither Sam or Ty had come back out to try and finagle him into talking about all the things he did not want to talk about or force him to come in for some breakfast before that point.

When Dean entered the kitchen, the house was a lot quieter than he expected it to be. Frowning, he moved through the empty kitchen to see where everyone had gone.

"Sam?" he called, "Ty?"

"Dean!" Sam called back, appearing a moment later on the stairs coming up from the basement.

"Where is everybody?" Dean asked.

Dean's eyes narrowed when Sam's gaze momentarily slid sideways and he didn't immediately answer.

"Sam?" Dean pressed.

Sam sighed. He knew he'd have to tell Dean something, but he also knew if he told him the truth, he'd be grabbing his keys and heading out the door before he even finished speaking. He figured the only way to deal with this was to do what he'd done before, only tell his brother a partial truth, "Ty and Alex left on a hunt. Bobby had a friend who needed help so they went to take care of it while we wait for Ruby to fix the Colt and give us her info."

Dean had to take a moment to make sure he'd heard that right. He ran through it again in his head, but it still sounded ludicrous so he finally asked, "She did what?"

"She didn't want to bother you." Sam added, anticipating Dean's questions, "She said they could handle this one."

"And you bought that?" Dean demanded.

"Dude, she's been hunting for over a year now. Mostly without us around." Sam retorted, annoyed by his brother's tone.

Dean knew he was right and that pissed him off even more. Damn it! He'd just gotten the rage back under control, shoved down where he could ignore it, but now it was boiling over again. He just barely stopped himself from punching the wall, opening his fist at the last minute.

"Damn it! I can't believe you let her run off on her own with all this shit going on!" he snapped at Sam.

"Okay, first off, she's not alone. Alex is with her." Sam snapped back, his own temper fraying.

"Oh, yeah, that makes me feel better." Dean grumbled sarcastically.

"And secondly, neither of us lets her do anything." Sam persisted, "Just because you've decided to be an asshole to the girl who's done nothing but care about you…"

"I don't remember asking for your relationship advice!" Dean yelled, stalking away from him.

"No, you just expect me to clean up your messes! I mean, she asked you for a week alone and you stalked her. You abandon her for months, she still takes you back. She leaves on one hunt without telling you, and you lose your shit." Sam followed after him, his words cutting deeper than Dean wanted to admit.

Dean spun back towards his brother, eyes blazing with anger, his voice dropping in volume, a clear warning sign, "Shut it, Sam. It's none of your business."

"Oh, so it's okay for you to butt in on whatever aspect of my life you feel like, but this is none of my business?" Sam snarled, ignoring that warning sign and barreling ahead as his own frustrations with his brother started bubbling up, "You're such a freaking hypocrite, Dean!"

Dean clenched and unclenched his fist, reminding himself that he shouldn't deck Sam. No matter how obnoxious he was or how much he felt like hitting something. The brothers glared at each other silently for a moment.

"I've gotta get back to helping Bobby." Sam finally declared, turning to head back towards the basement.

Dean growled at his brother's retreating form. He still wanted to demand Ty's location and speed off after her, but Sam was definitely in his stubborn mode, the car wasn't ready, and maybe...just maybe Sam had a point about Ty's hunting. Dean finally released his breath in a frustrated huff and headed back to the kitchen. He needed something to eat, damn it.

Sam and Dean avoided each other for the next hour or so. Sam threw himself into Bobby's basement renovation project while Dean continued fixing the Impala. The plus side of hiding out most of the day in the salvage yard was that Dean managed to get the car back into shape rather quickly. If he didn't know better, he'd think nothing had ever happened to her. Dean moved the Impala back around to park her in the front, but hesitated before going inside. He pulled his phone from his pocket, frowning at it. Finally, annoyed at himself as much as the circumstances, he scrolled through to Ty's number and called her.

She picked up almost immediately, "Dean?"

She sounded surprised. Dean supposed he couldn't blame her. He hadn't done a particularly good job at keeping in touch with her when they'd been apart before. But rather than dwell on his personal failings, he focused on the reason for their current separation.

"Where are you?" he asked without preamble.

"About 30 minutes out from Denver. Is everything okay? Did that Ruby person come by yet?" Ty answered quickly, then launched into her own questions.

Dean ignored them, refusing to be redirected, "What is this hunt? Why didn't you say anything to me before you left?"

He tried to make sure he just sounded annoyed. She didn't need to know about any other emotions that he might be feeling.

She paused before she replied, "I wanted to give you a chance to...fix things."

She chose her words carefully so that they could be interpreted as a reference to the Impala or to Dean's personal problems. The deliberate vagueness of her words wasn't lost on Dean. On the one hand, it bothered him that she'd decided he was unbalanced enough that she needed to go behind his back, but on the other hand, he thought she was probably right. He needed to get it together. Taking a deep breath, Dean shoved his emotions back down where they belonged.

"Besides," Ty continued when her words were met with silence, "we need you to get the Colt working ASAP. Once that's taken care of, I figured you could join us out here."

That did make sense, Dean supposed. Ty and Alex could take care of the legwork in nailing down whatever and wherever this thing they were hunting was, then he and Sam could join them for the kill.

"Fine. Just promise you'll wait for us before you square off with this thing." Dean insisted, "Do you know what it is yet?"

Ty didn't know how to reply to that without lying or making a promise she couldn't keep. Unable to think of anything else, she cranked her window down and held her phone into the wind.

"Dean? Dean, you still there? I can't hear you. I think I'm losing reception in the mountains. I'll call you back later. Bye!"

Ty then hastily ended the call before rolling her window back up. Alex was looking at her funny so she narrowed her eyes back at him, "What?"

"Did you just fake a bad connection?" Alex asked incredulously.

Ty made a face at him before making some crackling noises and acting like her voice was going in and out, "What's that, Alex? The car's going through a tunnel. Can't...hear...your...bullshit."

Despite everything, Alex found himself grinning at her. It was such a relief to smile that he felt his whole body release some of the tension he'd been feeling ever since he'd heard how this demon killed its victims. He mentally thanked Ty, grateful once again that she was in this with him, but out loud he said, "That's some crappy service you've got."

Ty nodded in agreement, glad to see Alex relaxing a little. She couldn't imagine what kind of thoughts had been going through his head, but if they were anything like her own, he needed a distraction. She'd spent hours trying to figure out some kind of plan, but for the life of her she couldn't even think of what she would do when they saw the demon again. Finding it had always seemed like more of an abstract concept. The reality of being face-to-face with it was something she'd never really considered.

Ty mentally shook herself. She didn't want to go down that road again. They would just have to deal with events as they unfolded. In the meantime, stressing out was not helping anything.

Leaning forward, Ty turned on the radio and fiddled with the dial until she found a station playing something tolerable. She and Alex hunted well together. They just needed to get back in the groove, treat this like any other hunt. No matter how much they both knew it wasn't.