The next morning, Dean stirred under the covers, yawning a bit before opening his eyes. Normally, he'd still feel tired (and nursing a headache if he'd been drinking the night before), but that morning he actually felt rested. As he stared at the ceiling, he allowed himself a small smile, then gave a good stretch. He paused when he realized the space next to him was unoccupied, and he looked over, confirming Alicia wasn't in bed with him. The hunter threw back the sheets and all but jumped out of bed, trying to ebb the panic growing in his mind. He marched past the open bathroom door, glancing in quickly and seeing it empty, and rushed out of the bedroom.

"Allie?" he asked, looking around the cabin, seeing no one. "Allie!" He stopped when he saw her on the back deck, still in her night clothes. Breathing a sigh of relief, and feeling a little frustrated from worry, he marched over to the back door and opened it, heading out. He stopped just outside when he saw her slowly pacing the length of the deck, talking on her cell phone.

"I know," she said softly. She glanced at Dean, acknowledging him, and Dean could see her eyes bright. He closed the door and walked over, but Alicia motioned him to wait, as she continued her conversation. "Yeah, I will…I love you, too. Bye." She hung up the phone, staring at it sadly.

"I take it that was Bobby?"

Alicia nodded. "I called him," she explained. "Told him what was going on—what happened last night."

"You didn't tell him where we were, did you?" Dean asked.

Alicia shook her head. "I told him it would be safer if we stayed away. He tried to talk me into coming home, but I told him not until we can figure out what's going on. He wasn't too happy, but he understood, and he said he'd take precautions. He also said John had left and was working on gathering intel and information," the corners of her mouth quivered slightly, "and that he was pretty pissed off about me taking the Colt."

Dean hid a smile. "I'll call him later," he replied. He tilted his head. "You okay?"

Alicia shrugged. "You know, Bobby's the one who's usually trying to protect me, now I'm the one trying to protect him. Circle of life, huh?" She paused. "You know, since I'm the one the demons want, maybe it's best if I stay here, and you and Sam just leave."

"Like hell we are."

"Dean, if we're gonna stand any chance of beating these guys," Alicia said, "it's not gonna happen here, but the moment I leave this property, they're gonna be able to find us because of me. If I stay here, you guys will stand a better chance of finding a way to stop them."

"That's bullshit, Allie. You think they're gonna leave Sam and me alone just because you're not there? Ramiel knows we're together, and I'm pretty sure he's gonna tell his brothers, if he hasn't already. You think they won't hesitate to use us as bait to try to get to you—or even use Bobby as bait?"

"That's not helping me feel better, Dean."

"All I'm saying is that they already know we're together, so there's nothing we can do to change that." He sighed. "Look, I get it, this whole thing is crazy, and I don't know what to do next, but you, me, and Sam are a team, and the one thing we don't do is split up, you hear me?" Alicia nodded, but she still looked pretty down in the dumps. "You know what you need right now?"

Alicia raised an eyebrow. "Coffee?" she asked.

"Yeah," Dean replied, "and pancakes, eggs, whatever else the hell's on the menu—and bacon. Lots and lots of bacon. Look, we'll meet up with Sam like we said we would, get some food and coffee in us, then figure out what to do next." Alicia just shook her head. "What?"

"You only wanna eat 'cause it's complimentary," Alicia said, amused as she headed for the cabin door.

"Best thing in the world," Dean replied, grinning as he followed her inside. He glanced at her backside and smirked lasciviously. "Almost."


The resort's restaurant was a little more crowded than the night before. Various patrons and families milled about at the different tables and buffet, enjoying their breakfasts and each other's company. Sam sat at one of the tables far from the rest of the patrons, reading the paper he'd picked up in the general store earlier, a plate of partly-eaten food and a mug of coffee in front of him. He glanced up as Dean and Alicia walked in and looked around. They spotted him and he nodded, then Dean's attention was drawn to the giant buffet, and he eagerly grabbed a plate and began piling it with food. Alicia gave Sam an apologetic expression, but he just waved her off with an amused expression. She grabbed her own plate and began getting her own breakfast. A few minutes later, the two hunters joined Sam, both their plates stacked with food and also carrying mugs filled with coffee.

"You two look rested," Sam said as they began eating. Dean opened his mouth, but Sam stopped him. "And whatever you guys did last night I don't want to hear about it." He glanced at Alicia's plate, stacked almost as high with food as Dean's, and watched as she grabbed a bottle of syrup and poured it on her stack of pancakes and slices of bacon and sausage before digging into her food. He shook his head slightly, but kept his mouth shut.

Dean noticed and looked amused. "See, Sammy," he mumbled as he stuffed a piece of bacon in his mouth. "Nothing wrong with a chick who's got a healthy appetite."

Sam just stared at them, before exhaling. "So, uh, after what happened last night," he said, his voice lowered, "we need to figure out our next step."

"Well, Allie's talked to Bobby," Dean replied, "told him to keep his distance. We just need to call Dad, fill him in, make sure he doesn't come looking for us."

"And then?" Sam asked.

"Honestly, I don't know," Dean answered. "These sons of bitches ain't easy to—" he stopped, then he sighed. "Ash." He turned to Alicia. "Ash can track them, right?"

"He said to give him fifty-one hours," Alicia replied, pulling out her phone, "and it's been more than that." She dialed a number, putting the phone to her ear, waiting. "Hey, Jo, it's Alicia. Could you put Ash on the phone?" She sighed. "I know, but tell him I'll buy him a PBR next time I come over." She waited a few more moments. "Ash?" She nodded and put her phone on speaker. "You there?"

"Allie-girl, where the hell you been?" the trio heard Ash's voice on the speaker. "Been a little longer than fifty-one hours."

"Sorry, Ash. Got a little busy with a case."

"You got something for us, Ash?" Dean asked.

"Can you track the demons?" Sam pressed, lowering his voice.

"Yeah," Ash answered. "Unfortunately, they're nowhere around, at least not anymore."

"What do you mean 'not anymore'?" Alicia asked.

"Well, there was this little blip in Reno yesterday," Ash replied, "but it's gone now." The trio glanced at each other. "Don't know where you guys are, but you might check that out if you're close by."

"Yeah, we're not close by," Dean replied quickly.

"Bummer," Ash said. "Well, anyway, there's no sign of 'em, but if these fugly bastards raise their heads, I'll know it. I mean, I'm on it like Divine on dog dookie." Alicia grimaced at the reference.

"What do you mean, Ash?" Sam asked, trying not to look grossed out.

"I mean, any of those signs or omens appear, anywhere in the word, my rig'll go off like a fire alarm. Then I'll give Allie-girl a holler, and you three can do your thing."

"Hey, Ash," Alicia spoke up, "anything about Cass?"

"Sorry, Blondie," Ash replied sincerely. "I've tried all cross-references, scans, databases, and searches I could. This symbol is nowhere to be found, and whoever this Cass person is, he is off the grid." Alicia looked a little disappointed. "But, don't worry, I ain't giving up just yet."

"Thanks, Ash."

Sam looked impressed. "Ash, where did you learn to do all this?"

"M.I.T.," Ash replied. "Before I got bounced for…fighting."

"M.I.T.?" Sam asked, confused.

"It's a school in Boston," Ash replied.

Dean smirked a little. "Yeah, okay. Give us a call as soon as you know something."

"Si, si, compadre," Ash replied before handing up.

Dean snorted as Alicia closed her phone and put it away. "'M.I.T.'?" he scoffed. "Sounds like Ash has been hitting something a little stronger than the booze if he expects us to buy that."

"Actually, he's telling the truth," Alicia replied. Dean looked surprised. "Appearances can be deceiving." She took another bite of her breakfast. "So, Ramiel's no longer in Reno, and Ash can't find anything on Cass anywhere, which means we're back to square one." She downed her coffee, then stood up. "I need another cup." Clutching her empty mug, she headed off toward the buffet.

"How's she doing?" Sam asked. "Really?"

"Well, she was almost barbecued like our moms," Dean replied, "but managed to free herself and blast Ramiel away—with his own powers—which is something she's never done before. Oh, and she can't be near Bobby right now because there are four powerful demons after us. And, she tried to convince me that you and I should leave and she should just stay here so the demons don't come after us, which we both know won't work."

"That bad, huh?" Sam asked. "So, what do we do?"

"I don't know," Dean replied. "There's no sign of the demons, no sign of Cass," he paused, thinking about what almost happened the previous night, "and Allie's not handling it well." Sam furrowed his eyebrows, confused, and Dean just gave him a look. Sam immediately understood what that meant.

"Please tell me you didn't do anything," he said, his voice low.

Dean looked offended. "Of course not," he replied back. "Look, I want Allie like a cop wants a donut, but she wasn't in her right mind, so give me some credit."

Sam tilted his head. "You had to think about dead puppies, didn't you?" he asked bluntly after a few moments.

"All freakin' night," Dean replied.

"You sure it wasn't whatever you think is trying to control the two of you?" Sam asked.

"No, her emotions were dialed up, but that was all her, Sammy."

Sam sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "You know, this is starting to get annoying as hell, so I can't believe I'm saying this, but I really wish you two would just get it over with."

"You and me both," Dean muttered, shoving another piece of bacon into his mouth. A few moments later, Alicia came back over, with her mug filled and Jimmy in tow.

"Look who I ran into," Alicia replied, looking a little more cheerful as she sat down.

"You look like you've all gotten a good night's sleep," Jimmy said pleasantly. "How's your breakfast?"

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

"Any progress on your…current situation?" Jimmy asked.

"Just a bunch of dead ends and no leads," Dean replied glumly.

"I'm truly sorry," Jimmy said, "but know that you three are more than welcome to stay here as long as you need."

"Thank you," Alicia replied.

Jimmy tilted his head. "Perhaps I could be of some help," he suggested. "I mean, it's not demon related, but since you're going to be here for some time, I could take you on a tour of the facilities."

"That's fine," Dean said, waving his hand dismissively.

"I was actually talking to Alicia," Jimmy replied. The trio looked a little confused. "I was thinking about showing her around, let her study her mother's magic, tell her what I know about her parents."

"That would be great," Alicia said.

"Yeah, she's gonna pass," Dean replied bluntly.

"Excuse me?" Alicia asked, looking at him annoyed. "Who said I'm gonna pass?"

"I did," Dean replied. "I mean, just because the guy says he knew your mother and was nice to him, you're willing to just trust him?"

"I'm right here," Jimmy said slowly.

"Well, he hasn't given us any reason to do otherwise," Alicia retorted. "Look, I appreciate the concern, and I'm willing to let you take the lead on some things, but when it comes to my parents the only person making any decisions concerning them is me." She got to her feet. "Jimmy, whenever you're ready, I'll be outside." She left the table, heading out the front entrance. The three men remained at the table in an awkward silence.

"Look," Jimmy said after a few moments, "I understand your concern."

"I seriously doubt that," Dean replied curtly, sipping his coffee.

"You don't know me," Jimmy continued, "and you want to keep Alicia safe. Believe me, I want the same thing, and I will not do anything to harm her."

"Then you won't mind us tagging along," Dean said as he got to his feet.

"I'm not sure that would be wise," Jimmy replied. Dean just raised an eyebrow, folding his arms, unconvinced. "I don't think Alicia would want it."

Sam glanced at his brother and saw Dean's jaw set as he stared at Jimmy with a hard expression and was a little surprised to see Jimmy return the same expression to Dean. "Uh," he spoke up quickly, "maybe we could follow, but…keep an eye from a distance?"

"Fine," Jimmy replied before heading off to follow Alicia.

Sam glanced at his brother, who looked like he was ready to fight Jimmy at the drop of a hat, gave his brother a hard look before following Jimmy.

(End of Chapter 12)