The sun was high in the sky as the Impala drove down a dusty road, kicking up a cloud of dust behind it. The car drove past a phone booth and a retro filling station, both in such dilapidated condition that anyone could tell they hadn't been in service in years, as Dean pulled up to the wooden building with a large 'Harvelle's Roadhouse' sign, looking it over. It reminded him of so many dives he'd been to over the years—run down, with a couple of rusted chairs, metal kegs, and weeds decorating the covered porch, along with a broken-down ice machine and some other junk; a junky and rusted RV was on the side.
"We're here," Dean replied, glancing in the rearview mirror. He saw Alicia spreading out some large sheets of blank paper. "Allie?"
"You guys go on in," Alicia replied.
"What are you doing?" Sam asked, turning around.
"Remember how I said I copied some stuff before leaving?" Alicia asked.
"Yeah," Sam answered.
"Well, I used a spell to copy the stuff from the pages into my mind," Alicia explained, "and now I'm putting that stuff back on paper."
"You can do that?" Dean asked.
"I better," Alicia replied, smirking. "I created the spell myself." She glanced up and saw their impressed expressions. "It was the first spell I'd ever created shortly after I started hunting. I figured it'd come in handy if I can't grab a book or paper I need." She indicated the front door of the roadhouse. "Go on in. I'll just be a few minutes. Oh, and when you get in there, look for Ellen." She closed her eyes as she placed her hands flat on the blank sheets of paper. "Rescribo."
A purple glow appeared under her hands, and her hair fluttered slightly before the brothers saw drawings and words moving down the top of her head, disappearing under her clothes and reappearing on her hands, moving onto the blank sheets. Dean and Sam watched, stunned for a few moments before getting out of the car, shutting the doors behind them.
"You know," Dean said as they headed for the front door, "that's freakin' cool. She's like a human Xerox machine."
"She also said it was her first spell," Sam added, "meaning she's created others." He gave Dean a knowing look.
"One thing at a time, Sammy," Dean replied. He held out his hand. "Hey, you bring the, uh—"
"Of course," Sam said, reaching in his jacket pocket and pulling out a lockpick gun. He handed it to Dean, who used it to open the door. He handed the gun back to Sam, who pocketed it, before the two walked it, looking around.
Besides being empty and quiet, there wasn't anything out of the ordinary: a bar and bar stools on one side with mostly empty pint glasses grouped near the back, a phone near the front door, and a jukebox in a nearby corner. Some chairs and tables were sporadically around, a couple of arcade games in an area off to the side, and a guy with a mullet, wearing a sleeveless plaid shirt and jeans was passed out on the pool table in the back.
"Hey, buddy?" Sam asked as he and Dean approached. The guy didn't respond. "I'm guessing that isn't Ellen."
"Yeah," Dean replied.
Sam glanced around, then saw a swinging door leading to the back. He went to investigate, leaving Dean to look around in the main area. The hunter walked over to the bar, and started leaning over it when he felt the point of a gun touch his back. He stiffened, raising his hands.
"Oh, God, please let that be a rifle," he said, closing his eyes briefly. The rifle cocked, and its owner, an attractive blonde girl in her early twenties, smirked.
"No, I'm just real happy to see you," she said sarcastically. "Don't move."
"Not moving, copy that," Dean replied. He paused, his eyes darting, thinking quickly. "You know, you should know something, miss. When you put a rifle on someone, you don't want to put it right against their back. Because it makes it real easy to do," he fluidly spun around, grabbing the rifle and cocking it as he gave her an annoyed expression, "that." The blonde girl responded by punching him in the face and taking back the gun. Dean doubled over, clutching his nose as he saw stars. "Sam! Need some help in here!" He groaned in pain. "I can't see, I can't even see."
The back door swung open to reveal Sam entering slowly with both hands on his head. "Sorry, Dean, I'm a little tied up," he replied, nodding his head. Behind him, an older woman with brown hair, held a gun pointed at his head. She paused, looking between the brothers.
"Sam?" she asked. "Dean?" She tilted her head. "Winchester?"
"Yeah," the brothers replied in unison.
"Son of a bitch," she said.
"Mom, you know these guys?" the blonde girl asked.
"Yeah, I think these are John Winchester's boys," she replied. She lowered her gun, laughing. "Hey, I'm Ellen. This is my daughter, Jo." Dean gave a sheepish half-smile.
"Hey," Jo said, lowering her rifle.
"Oh, good, you found her," another voice replied. Everyone looked over to see Alicia, holding several sheets of paper in her hand, standing in the open front door. She smiled cheerfully, glancing between Ellen and Jo before coming in, shutting the door behind her, heading over to the group.
"Alicia," Ellen smiled as she hugged the young woman. "Girl, we haven't seen you in months. How you been, sweetie?"
"Can't complain," Alicia replied, returning the hug with one arm. She nodded at Jo. "Hey, Jo." Jo nodded and smiled. "So, I see you've already Dean and Sam."
"And we've met their guns," Dean added, still holding his nose and giving Alicia an annoyed expression.
"Yeah," Alicia winced, "sorry about that. They can be a little twitchy with strangers."
"So, John finally let you meet his sons?" Ellen asked, surprised as she walked around behind the bar and grabbed a dish towel. The three hunters walked over and sat on the bar stools, Alicia putting her papers down, while Jo walked behind to join her mother. Ellen handed the makeshift ice pack to Dean, who nodded his thanks before gingerly putting it on his nose. "How'd Bobby take it?"
"Both he and John reacted in their usual way," Alicia replied, "though it wasn't like we were actively looking for each other."
"We were in a really bad crash," Sam explained. "A demon possessed a truck driver and t-boned our car. Alicia saved our lives." Alicia smiled a little, blushing.
"Was it *the* demon," Ellen said, worried. "I heard John was closing in on it." Dean and Sam glanced at each other, surprised.
"Was there an article in the Demon Hunters Quarterly that I missed?" Dean asked. "I mean, who, who are you? How do you know about all this? You a hunter?"
"I just run a saloon," Ellen answered, "but hunters have been known to pass through now and again."
"No, just a lower-level demon," Alicia replied. "Wasn't too hard to fight off."
Ellen nodded at the papers Alicia put on the bar. "Whatcha got there, sweetie?"
"That's actually why we're here," Alicia replied. "I need Ash to try and find something."
"Ash?" Dean asked, glancing at Alicia. "You never mentioned an 'Ash'. Who the hell's Ash?"
Ellen nodded and looked past the trio. "Ash!"
The man passed out on the pool table jerks awake and sits up, flailing. "What?" he asked, looking over, bleary-eyed. "It closin' time?"
"Look who's here," Ellen replied, nodding at Alicia, who smiled and waved.
"Blondie!" Ash exclaimed, grinning as he all but leapt off the table, crossing the room as Alicia got to her feet, meeting him halfway. He grabbed the young woman in a tight hug, but then he quickly dipped her backward, planting a big kiss right on her lips.
"Hey!" Dean said, frowning as leapt to his feet. "You mind?"
Ash pulled back, glancing at Dean briefly before looking back at Alicia. "Pretty boy with you?" he asked. Smiling, Alicia nodded, and Ash immediately looked apologetic as he righted the young woman. "Sorry, girl. Didn't know you were taken." Alicia tilted her head, showing off the hickey, and Ash grinned. "And here I thought you were a good girl." Alicia playfully shoved his arm before the two of them walked back over to the bar.
"This is Ash?" Sam asked in disbelief as Ash took a stool on the other side of Sam and Alicia returned to her spot; Dean remained standing next to her.
Jo nodded. "Mm-hmm. He's a genius."
"This guy's no genius," Dean replied, staring right at Ash, arms folded. "He's a Lynyrd Skynyrd roadie."
Ash grinned. "I like you," he said as Alicia passed over the papers to him, and he began skimming the top page. "So, Allie-girl, whatcha got for me this time?"
"Mystery person," Alicia replied as she felt Dean's arm around her waist, and she had to suppress a laugh. "I found this symbol in my mother's journal along with the name 'Cass'. Don't know anything about him, except he knew my parents and he has some connection to the demon, so we would like to find out A) if he's still alive, and B) what he knows."
Ash studied the paper. "I'll see what I can find," he replied. He nodded to the other papers. "What about these?"
"That's John's work from the past year," Alicia explained. Sam and Dean looked at her, questioningly.
"You stole our dad's work?" Sam asked.
"Copied," Alicia corrected. "The originals are still with him." She looked at Ash as he started flipping through the other pages.
"So, Ash," Dean said, "this is a year's worth of our dad's work, so, uh, whatcha make of it?"
As Ash rifled through the papers, he shook his head. "Come on. This crap ain't real. There ain't nobody can track a demon like this."
"Our dad could," Sam replied.
"There are non-parametrics, statistical overviews," Ash said, causing the brothers to glance at each other, surprised; Alicia just looked amused. "Prospects and correlations, I mean.. damn! They're signs. Omens. Uh, if you can track 'em, you can track this demon. You know, like crop failures, electrical storms. You ever been struck by lightning? It ain't fun."
"Can you track it or not?" Sam asked.
"I'll get back to you in a minute," Ash replied as he put the papers down and stood up, "but first," he walked over to the jukebox, punching in a selection. There was a click and a whirl as the machine made its selection, and in a short time Grand Funk Railroad's 'Bad Time' started playing. Ash walked back over to Alicia and held out his hand, smiling, "I believe you owe me a dance, young lady."
"Whoa, whoa," Dean said, stepping in between Alicia and Ash, "I don't think so, pal."
"Dean, it's fine," Alicia replied as she got up, brushing past Dean and taking Ash's hand. The two walked over to the jukebox, leaving Dean looking flabbergasted. He watched as Ash put an arm around Alicia's waist and held her other hand in his while she put her free hand on his shoulder. They started dancing in time with the beat of the music, and Dean hunter glanced at Sam, who shrugged. Dean's jaw set as he marched over to a table in the corner. Jo casually walked from behind the bar over to Dean, leaving Ellen and Sam alone.
"Are those two a…thing?" Sam asked.
"Who, Ash and Alicia?" Ellen asked. She chuckled. "No. They're friends, that's all. Ever since Alicia started coming here a few years back, Ash just keeps an eye on her, and we both make sure she doesn't get any unwanted attention from the wrong people."
"What kind of people?" Sam asked.
"The kind that gets twitchy if they knew she was a witch," Ellen replied in a low voice. "Or a werewolf." Sam just stared at her in shock. "When she first showed up, I knew who she was; her parents used to drop in every once in a while, so I contacted Bobby. He told me what had happened with Alicia, and asked me to keep an eye on her, keep her away from certain hunters."
"Does Ash know?" Sam asked.
"Yeah, and he can be trusted," Ellen replied. "Jo knows she's a hunter, but that's it, and I'd like to keep it that way. She's not a hunter, and the less she knows about Alicia's…condition, the better."
"It's not what you think," Jo said as she came over to the table, standing opposite where Dean sat. Dean glanced up. "Ash and Alicia."
"And you know what I'm thinking," Dean replied harshly.
"I know a jealous look when I see it," Jo retorted. Dean glanced up, but didn't say anything. "Look, the first time Alicia showed up here, she was trying to keep to herself, but some jackass was harassing her. Ash pretended to be her boyfriend to get the guy to leave her alone, and he's been doing that every time she visits; it's sort of become a tradition with them."
Dean glanced back at Alicia and Ash, who were actually maintaining a respectable distance from each other as they danced, talking about something Dean couldn't make out. "Really?" he asked, feeling a little relieved, smiling a little as he watched his girlfriend.
"Yeah, Alicia didn't talk to many hunters while she was here," Jo replied. "She liked to keep to herself." She raised an eyebrow, smiling. "So, what made you different?" Dean looked confused. "You two are a thing, right?" She tilted her head, fixing him with a curious expression.
"It's…complicated," Dean replied.
"Well, whatever it is," Jo said, "she looks good. When she'd come in here, you could tell there was this…pain she was carrying, but losing your mom to a demon and your dad to a werewolf will do that, huh? Now, she seems…different, better, so whatever you did, thanks."
Dean shrugged. "No problem."
"Oh, and one other thing," Jo added. "Alicia's a good friend, and I'd hate to see her go through any more pain than she's already had, so…."
Dean tilted his head. "Is this the 'hurt her, and I'll kill you' speech?" he asked, amused.
"No," Jo replied, smirking, "it's the 'hurt her, and she'll kill you' speech."
Dean chuckled. "That I already know."
"So," Ash said as he and Alicia swayed side to side while the music played, "you really with Don Juan over there?"
"Yeah," Alicia replied. Ash opened his mouth, but Alicia stopped him. "And he's a good guy, Ash. A little…stubborn and pig-headed, but he's got a good heart."
"That I can tell," Ash said. "What did he do to you? I mean, besides markin' you." He tilted his head. "You look…different."
Alicia smiled, lowering her voice. "I can be outside during full moons now," she replied.
Ash stopped dancing, staring at her. "Really?"
Alicia nodded. "Look, long story short—and you can tell Ellen later when Jo's not around—is Dean and Sam are a big reason why I'm cured."
"That's awesome," Ash replied, smiling. The song ended, and the two made their way back over to the bar, as did Jo and Dean. "Okay, uh, yeah, I can track it, but it's gonna take time. Uh, give me," he paused, thinking, "fifty-one hours."
"Great," Alicia said. "Call me when you get something." She glanced at Dean and Sam. "Okay, we're done here. Let's go."
Dean furrowed his eyebrows. "I thought we were—"
"We got that case we need to get on, remember?" Alicia interrupted, giving him a look.
"Oh, yeah," Dean replied, understanding. "Come on, Sam, you ready?"
"Sure," Sam said slowly. He turned to Ellen. "Thanks." The trio headed for the door, opening it.
"Hey, Blondie," Ash said. The trio stopped and looked at Ash. "Behave yourself."
"Boring," Alicia replied, smiling. Ash smiled and gathered all the papers, heading off to the back.
"Hey, man," Dean said.
Ash turned around. "Yeah?"
Dean smirked. "By the way I, uh, I dig the haircut."
Ash looked proud as he ran a hand over his mullet. "All business up front," he shook the back of his hair, "party in the back." He left, going through the back door.
"So, where y'all headed?" Ellen asked Alicia.
Alicia smiled. "It was good to see you, again, Ellen. Bye, Jo." She headed out the front door, with Dean and Sam following her.
"So, what was that about?" Sam asked as they made their way to the Impala.
"I'm willing to bet Bobby called Ellen," Alicia replied as they got in. "And if I told Ellen where we were going, she'd call Bobby in a heartbeat, and then we'd have to deal with Bobby—and possibly John—and right now, I really don't think it's a good idea to be in either of their general proximities. She glanced at Dean as he started the car and backed up, driving the Impala down the dirt road. "Look, about Ash—"
"Forget it," Dean interrupted as he turned the car on the main road, driving west. "Jo filled me in, said Ash keeps the douchebags away when you drop by."
"Yeah, and the first night I was there, was my first hunt after I'd killed my father," Alicia explained. "I was in a very low place—just wanted to take a breather, get a drink—but then this jerk started bothering me, and wouldn't stop. I almost blasted him across the room, then Ash just suddenly sat down at the table, acting like he's my boyfriend, then the guy left. If it wasn't for what he did, I'd probably have either been killed by one of those hunters…or they would have been killed by me." She took a deep breath. "Ash is like a brother to me: an older, eccentric, alcoholic brother." Dean and Sam looked amused.
"So, uh," Sam replied, "you told Ellen we were heading out on a case. Was that true?"
"Yep," Alicia said. "It was something I was actually gonna check into last month after the full moon, but I got a little sidetracked with a trio of hunters in a car crash."
"Oh, was one of them ruggedly handsome and good with a gun?" Dean asked, smirking.
"Yeah, but don't worry, Dean," Alicia replied sweetly. "I still like you better than Sam." Sam laughed as Dean's smile faded. Alicia saw his expression sour and leaned over, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing his cheek.
"So, where are we headed?" Dean asked, slightly annoyed, but then Alicia rested her chin on his shoulder, and he tried not to appear as if he enjoyed it.
"Reno, Nevada," Alicia replied.
(End of Chapter 5)
