Dean and Sam gasped loudly as they suddenly reappeared in their motel room, looking disoriented. Shaking, they looked at each other, eyes were wide with shock.

"What the hell was that?" Dean asked. Sam shook his head, too stunned to answer. Dean glanced around. "Allie?" She was nowhere to be seen. "Allie?!" The two looked around frantically, then the bathroom door opened, and a very frightened Alicia came out. A wave of relief washed over the brothers as Dean crossed the room in two strides and wrapped his arms around the young woman in a bear-crushing hug. "Are you okay?"

"I don't know," Alicia replied, her body shaking, her face full of fear and shock, clinging to Dean tightly as tears streamed down her face, her makeup running. "Dean, what the hell—"

"Are you okay?" Dean repeated more forcefully as he pulled back and looked her in the eyes. "Are you hurt?"

Alicia shook her head. "I don't think so."

"Sam?" Dean asked, glancing at his brother, who still appeared flustered.

"I'm fine," Sam replied.

"Good," Dean said. "Everyone get your stuff and get in the car. Whatever you did, Allie, I don't think it's bought us a lot of time, and I don't want us here when Ramiel recovers."

"That wasn't me." Dean and Sam stopped and looked at Alicia.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked, confused.

"Look," Dean said, "we'll do Twenty Questions and figure this out later, after we get the hell away from this place, okay? Get your stuff. We're leaving. Now!" In less than two minutes, the Impala peeled away from the motel, heading out of the city as fast as Dean could without risking getting pulled over; the hunter glancing in his mirrors frequently to make sure they weren't being followed. When they'd reach the city limits, he breathed a small sigh of relief, then glanced in the rearview mirror. Alicia sat in the middle of the backseat, looking completely shell-shocked, streaks of mascara running down her cheeks, her hair messed up, blood dotting her upper lip.

"Why don't we listen to a little music?" Dean suggested, reaching for the radio and turning the dial as music played from the speakers. "Help calm our nerves."

"' —You make, every step you take, I'll be watching you'."

Dean's eyes widened slightly . "Okay, not that." He quickly changed to a different station.

"'One way or another, I'm gonna find ya, I'm gonna getcha—"

"Dude, what the hell?" Sam hissed, reaching for the tuner, changing it.

"'—Will both be sorry. Don't you want me, baby? Don't you—'"

Dean chuckled nervously as he switched the radio off. "You know, music's really overrated."

Sam gave him a look before turning to face the young woman. "Alicia," he said. Alicia slowly looked up at him. "You okay?"

Alicia chuckled mirthlessly. "Why wouldn't I be?" she asked. "I mean, all I did was point us to a case that, not only turned out not to be a real case, but put us directly in the sights of one of the Princes of Hell who wants to start the Apocalypse."

"Dude, I think she's panicking," Dean said to Sam.

"Not only that," Alicia continued, her voice rising in panic, "but it turns out that this Prince of Hell doesn't want to kill me because he's got some sick, twisted infatuation with me."

"Yeah, she's panicking," Sam answered his brother. "Alicia?"

"Oh, and then he almost burned me alive like our mothers," the young woman continued rambling, "but I managed to stop it, which I don't know how the hell I did that, but then he tired to possess me, and—"

"Allie," Dean said loudly, snapping Alicia out of her hysteria.

"Look, no one expected things to turn out like this," Sam replied gently.

"No one expects the Spanish Inquisition either," Dean joked, chuckling, but then he saw the look Sam was giving him, and his grin faded. He cleared his throat, glancing at his girlfriend. "Look, I think we should head back to Bobby's. We'll be safer—"

"No," Alicia interrupted.

"Look, Allie, I know you're angry with him, but we got bigger things to worry—"

"This isn't about being angry, Dean," Alicia interrupted. "Ramiel is out there, and he's pissed off. If I go home, I'm putting Bobby in danger. I'm putting you two in danger right now just by being with you."

"Well, you sure as hell aren't going off on your own," Dean retorted.

"Alicia, he's right," Sam replied.

Alicia looked frustrated, but she exhaled sharply. "Look, call Bobby. Text him, warn him, whatever, but we are not going home. If you try, I will stop you." Knowing her conviction, Dean and Sam glanced at each other. They didn't look happy, but they kept their mouths shut.

"So, where do we go?" Dean asked, trying not to sound frustrated. Neither Sam nor Alicia could come up with an answer, and Dean sighed. "Great."

"What the—?" Sam asked, feeling around in his jacket pocket. He furrowed his eyebrows as he pulled out a small business card. In small scripted font were the three lines of words: the first read 'Heavenly Lake Sanctuary', the second 'Lakeside Resort', and the last line gave an address for Lake Tahoe. "Where did this come from?"

"What is it?" Dean asked.

"It's, uh, a business card," Sam replied. "Some resort in Lake Tahoe, the Nevada side. 'Heavenly Lake Sanctuary'. It was in my pocket, but I'm pretty sure they were empty when I got dressed."

"Let me see that," Dean said, and he took the card from Sam. He skimmed it, but shook his head. "You probably just missed it." Sam didn't look convinced.

"Can I see it?" Alicia asked. Dean reached around, and Alicia took the card, reading it. She tilted her head and stared at it, a strange expression on her face. "I know that place…my mother mentioned it in her journal." Her expression faltered a little. "My parents were married there."

"Really?" Dean asked, a little surprised. "You sure?"

Alicia nodded. "I have a wedding photo of them in my journal. On the back was the date and the name of this place."

"Have you ever been out there?" Sam asked.

Alicia shook her head. "I couldn't…," a look of guilt flashed across her eyes, "I mean, I…." she trailed off, then cleared her throat. She glanced at Sam, who gave her a sympathetic look of understanding. Feeling a little embarrassed, Alicia glanced back at the card. "Illuminia." Her eyes suddenly glowed, and then a familiar symbol appeared on the card. "Guys." She held the card out to Sam, who took it. He raised an eyebrow, then he flipped the card for Dean to see.

"Is that…?" Dean asked.

"The same symbol from my mother's journal," Alicia said. "The one I saw with Cass's name." Her eyes darted, lost in thought, then she came to a realization. "We have to go here."

"What?" Dean asked in disbelief. "Allie, are you serious?"

"Yes," Alicia replied.

"We're not going there."

"Why not?"

"Really?" Dean asked. "After everything that's happened, you wanna just rush in again?"

Alicia scoffed. "Look, this is Cass's symbol on a card where my parents got married—that's my mother's magic, just like in my mother's journal. Something saved us in the casino. What if it's this Cass person?"

"And what if this is another trap by Ramiel?" Dean retorted. "Allie, don't you find it a little odd that after we get our asses handed to us by another Prince of Hell Sam finds this card in his pocket that has Cass's symbol on it—put there by your mother's magic, the same magic Ramiel used to trick you into coming to Reno in the first place? For all we know, Ramiel could have planted it somehow, and he's just waiting for us to show up and kill us all."

"He won't kill me," Alicia said.

"Oh, yeah, right, I forgot" Dean replied in a patronizing tone. "He'll just kill me and Sam and possess you, my mistake." He ignored the glare Alicia gave him.

"Someone saved us at that casino," she replied.

"Yeah, you," Dean retorted.

"I didn't make that high-pitched sound," Alicia explained. "I didn't teleport us away."

"You think it's this Cass?" Sam asked.

"Maybe," Alicia replied. "I was thinking about this: if he and my mother were friends, then that could mean Cass was a witch, possibly a powerful one. Maybe he was the one who saved us, and now he's reaching out to us to tell us where to meet him." Dean scoffed, but didn't say anything.

"Alicia," Sam said gently, "we don't know for certain we're not walking into another trap."

"You know, it's funny you guys were okay listening to me before this happened," Alicia said icily, "but now all of a sudden my ideas are trash."

"Alicia, come on," Sam said. "We don't think that."

"Really, Sam? Then, please, tell me why you two are suddenly against me."

"Oh, grow up," Dean said, annoyed. Sam glanced at his brother, surprised by his response, but he kept quiet.

"Oh, that's mature," Alicia retorted. "Don't you think with all the years I've been solo hunting I might actually know a thing or two?" Dean rolled his eyes, which Alicia saw. "And how many years do you have under your belt, Dean?"

"I don't care how many years you've hunted on your own, Allie. Going to this resort after what just happened is stupid. Any good hunter would realize that, not bitch and moan about being outvoted or try to pull rank."

"Just because you think it's a bad idea," Alicia replied, "doesn't mean it is one."

Sam felt very awkward listening to them argue. "Hey, guys," he spoke up gently, "could you—"

"Shut up, Sam," Dean and Alicia interrupted in unison.

"Look," Alicia replied adamantly, "we need to go there, Dean."

"We don't need to go anywhere except far away from here," Dean retorted forcefully, "so drop it." Alicia opened her mouth. "End of discussion."

Alicia narrowed her eyes. "I guess it is." Her eyes glowed brightly and the air around her shimmered before she suddenly disappeared.

"Allie!" Dean shouted. He turned around, seeing her gone, and he sighed, frustrated as he faced the front. "Dammit! What the hell is she thinking?"

"You know what," Sam said as he pulled his phone from his jacket pocket and dialed Alicia's number. He let it ring and ring, then he stopped and hung up, frustrated. "She left her phone at the casino." He opened his search engine and typed in the address he saw on the car.

"Got it?" Dean asked.

"Yep," Sam said. "Uh, looks like it's about an hour away."

Dean sighed as he clenched his jaw. "I'm gonna kill her myself," he muttered before flooring the pedal, and the Impala sped off down the road.


The tires of the Impala squealed slightly as the car turned left, driving through the front entrance of Heavenly Lake Sanctuary, sending up dust on the dirt road. The area was dimly lit as the brothers looked around, reading the signs leading to different buildings, but each one they drove past was completely dark. Sam finally spotted a building in the distance with lights still on.

"There," he said, pointing.

The Impala raced over to the front of the building and slammed on the brakes. Dean killed the engine, and the two hunters quickly exited the vehicle, shutting their doors and drew their guns as they raced inside. The room they hurried into was just a single large space, with vaulted wooden ceilings, large windows, booths, chairs and tables, and a buffet-style table. Alicia sat at one of the tables nearby, a thick maroon blanket over her shoulders, a mostly-eaten plate of food, an empty beer bottle, and silverware in front of her. Sitting next to her, talking with her, dressed in a dark suit and trench coat, was a dark-haired man neither of the brothers recognized.

"Get away from her, Columbo!" Dean shouted and both Alicia and the man looked up and saw the brothers approaching with their guns aimed at the stranger.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Alicia said hurriedly as she got to her feet and stood between the brothers and the stranger, holding her hands up. "It's okay, guys."

"You hurt?" Dean asked, keeping his gun up.

"I'm fine," Alicia answered, glancing between the brothers. "You can put the guns away." They refused, and the young woman glanced at the stranger, who stood up.

"Hey," Dean warned, keeping his gun trained.

Jimmy stared at Dean, almost annoyed. "My name is Jimmy Novak," he said patiently, his voice a little gravelly.

"You the owner?" Sam asked.

"Not really," Jimmy said. The brothers just stared at him hard, their guns still raised, causing Jimmy to exhale frustrated. "I'm just the caretaker. I stay on the premises to maintain the property for the owners." He indicated Alicia. "I was finishing up my dinner and about to close up for the night when Alicia walked in, barefoot. She looked like she'd been through something…unpleasant, so I helped her get warmed up, then brought her some shoes and food." The brothers glanced down and saw Alicia wearing some gray fuzzy slippers, then looked back at Jimmy. "She told me you'd be coming," he eyed the weapons, "and you'd be twitchy."

"Oh, really?" Dean asked, frowning at Alicia. "Did she mention pissed off after she…," he glanced briefly at Jimmy, trying to figure out how to word things, "left us?"

"She did," Jimmy replied. "I've already discussed with her that teleporting in the middle of an argument is not the best way to deal with a situation." Dean and Sam looked at Alicia with 'what the hell?' expressions.

Alicia grimaced at their expressions. "Yeah," she said slowly, "he knows I'm a witch, and a hunter—that we're hunters." The brothers just stared at her, confused, then back at Jimmy, keeping their guard up.

"I knew her mother, Lily," Jimmy replied. "I knew the life she led." Dean and Sam looked at Alicia, who nodded slightly, pleading with them to believe Jimmy. The brothers glanced at each other, and they slowly lowered their guns, keeping their fingers indexed near the triggers.

"Talk," Dean ordered Jimmy.

"Are you hungry?" Jimmy asked. "It's late, and Alicia said it's been hours since you've eaten, so I prepared something for you."

"We're fine," Dean said curtly. Sam looked a little disappointed; he was starving. Dean glanced at Sam, who was almost pleading. Dean exhaled sharply, annoyed. "What is it?"

"Well," Jimmy replied, "Alicia told me you wouldn't turn down a bacon cheeseburger and fries, and Sam would be happy with a grilled chicken salad, dressing on the side."

"And three beers," Alicia added.

Jimmy nodded, then he paused when he saw the expression on Dean's face as he stared at Alicia. "I'll give you three a few minutes to talk. Please sit." He headed to the kitchen, leaving the trio alone.

Alicia glanced between the brothers, motioning them to sit. The brothers put their weapons away and wordlessly sat at the table, Alicia in her spot while Dean and Sam sat across from her. The three sat in an uncomfortable silence as Dean just stared at Alicia, arms folded, his jaw set. Sam didn't look happy with her, but with not nearly as harsh an expression as his brother.

"So," Alicia said, slightly uncomfortably, "I'm sorry for worrying you, but I'm not sorry for coming here."

"Even though we agreed not to," Dean retorted.

"We didn't agree to anything, Dean," Alicia pointed out. "You just decided my idea was stupid."

"I didn't want us walking into another trap," Dean replied.

"I would've known if coming here was a trap," Alicia said.

"You mean like you knew the last time?" Dean asked curtly.

Alicia stared at him, jaw set, then she scoffed. "And there it is: you think it's my fault for what happened at the casino."

"No, we don't, Allie," Dean replied, "but you didn't pick up on anything before we got caught."

"And who's fault was that?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"How about when I was trying to set up the spell," Alicia pointed out, "you decided to get all handsy?"

Sam looked at his brother incredulously. "Dude, really?" he asked. "During a job?"

"Hey, it wasn't my fault," Dean protested.

"Really?" Alicia asked. "So, I guess it wasn't you who pinned me against the table or tried to pull down my—"

"Okay, enough, guys," Sam interrupted quickly before Alicia could finish.

"Look, you certainly weren't protesting," Dean continued, ignoring Sam.

"Believe me, it wasn't from a lack of trying," Alicia replied. "I was trying to stay focused, then…I don't know what happened."

"I'll tell you what happened," Dean said. "You had your legs wrapped around my—"

"Hey!" Dean and Alicia looked over at Sam, who looked frustrated. "Would you two just shut up?" Dean and Alicia didn't look happy, but they stopped arguing. "Look, instead of blaming each other and fighting, maybe you should focus on the obvious."

"And what's that?" Dean asked.

"Dean, you're saying you weren't in control of your actions," Sam replied. "Alicia was saying the same thing. Does this sound familiar?" Dean and Alicia furrowed their eyebrows, thinking, then they glanced at each other as the realization hit them.

"You think something's been controlling us?" Dean asked.

"Or trying to," Sam replied.

"Now you believe me?" Alicia asked Dean. Dean's expression faltered a bit, but he didn't reply.

"Okay, but why?" Dean asked. "I mean, who or what the hell cares if Allie and I rub our fun bits together or not?" Alicia rolled her eyes, but he ignored it.

Jimmy came back at that moment, carrying a tray with two plates of food and three beer bottles. He set the salad and one of the bottles in front of Sam, then put the other plate and a bottle in front of Dean. He handed the third bottle to Alicia, and set the tray down on another table before moving toward the seat next to Alicia. He stopped when he saw Dean slide his plate and bottle across the table. The hunter looked up at Jimmy with a hard expression, and the caretaker knew exactly what that look meant.

Wordlessly, he stepped away, moving to the other side of the table as Dean stood up and took his seat next to Alicia as Jimmy sat next to Sam. He watched as the brothers began eating in silence, then glanced at Alicia as she went to sip her bottle.

Dean plucked it from her hand. "You've already had one," he said, his mouth full of food.

Alicia snatched the bottle back. "Yeah, and a demon nearly burned me alive on a ceiling tonight. I think that entitles me to more than one beer." Dean opened his mouth to protest, but Alicia fixed him with a look, and the hunter simply glowered and took another bite of his burger.

"How is everything?" Jimmy asked as Dean and Sam at their meals.

"It's good, thanks," Sam replied.

"Not bad," Dean mumbled. He glanced at Alicia, chewing. "Don't think this gets you out of any trouble." He looked back at Jimmy. "Okay, talk."

"About?" Jimmy asked.

"You said you knew Alicia's mom," Sam replied, "and about hunters."

"Yes, and I've already explained this to Alicia," Jimmy said.

"So, explain to us," Dean replied curtly.

Jimmy looked to Alicia, who nodded, and the caretaker leaned back slightly, getting comfortable. "Lily—Alicia's mother—first came here in nineteen seventy-nine," he explained. "Valentine's Day. She showed up here near midnight, scared, exhausted, with some minor injuries. She'd been ambushed, but a friend came and helped her."

"Mark Singer?" Sam asked.

"It was Cass," Alicia answered. She saw their confused expressions. "The first entry in my mother's journal was dated February fifteenth, nineteen seventy-nine. She wrote about being ambushed the previous night by a horde of demons…and that she was rescued by Cass. She said she found shelter here, hoping to rest."

"Unfortunately, some of the demons followed her and attacked," Jimmy continued, "but Lily was able to fight them off. Even with her injuries, she was a force to be reckoned with. She single-handedly drove them away before anyone was injured." He glanced at Alicia, who looked both sad and proud.

"Did this Cass person ever show up?" Sam asked.

"Yes, shortly after, but he didn't stay long," Jimmy replied, "so no one was able to get a good look at him. He just came to make sure Lily was safe, then he left. Lily stayed here until the next day, resting, until her fiancé showed up."

"Your dad?" Dean asked Alicia. She nodded.

"You said that was the first time she was here?" Sam asked. "When were the others?"

"The second time was a few months later," Jimmy explained, "when Lily and Mark were married. After that, any time they were in the general area, they tried to stop by whenever they could. The last time was in December, nineteen eighty-two."

Sam paused and furrowed his eyebrows, mouthing silently, then the realization hit. "Uh, Alicia, does that mean you—"

"Yep," Alicia interrupted.

"Mean what?" Dean asked.

"Uh," Sam replied, "count the number of months backwards from Alicia's birthday."

Dean silently counted on his fingers, then he stopped and glanced at Alicia after he finished the math. "Oh," he said slowly.

"You know," Alicia replied suddenly, looking at Jimmy, "it's getting late, and I'm pretty sure it's safe to say we're all really, really tired. Do you have any cabins or rooms we could have for the night?"

"Of course," Jimmy answered. "There are a couple of cabins available nearby that aren't being used." He could see the brothers looking like they were going to protest. "And it's no trouble or cost. Lily was a good friend, and it would be my honor to help her daughter and friends the same way I helped her."

"Look, that's nice of you," Sam said, "but if what attacked us finds out we're here, people here could be in danger."

"That's very thoughtful of you to consider," Jimmy said as they walked toward the entrance, "but Alicia's mother took care of that; she put protective enchantments around the resort to keep malevolent beings out years ago, and they've remained there ever since."

"He's telling the truth," Alicia added. "My mother's magic is still present here; I've sensed it. She put a very powerful spell over this property; no demon or monster can sense us while we're here." She glanced between the brothers, who didn't look convinced. "Guys, come on. We're all tired. Let's just try to get some rest tonight and figure out what to do tomorrow, okay?"

Dean glanced at Sam, who gestured with a 'your call' expression. After a few moments of consideration, Dean nodded. "Okay," he said. "We'll stay the night."

"Glad to hear you say that," Jimmy replied as he stood up. "If you'll follow me, I'll show you to your rooms." He headed toward the entrance with the three hunters following.

(End of Chapter 10)