The people in the room stared at each other in deafening silence until Sam broke the tension.

"We are staying at the small motel on Larkin, just up the road. There's a quiet lounge where we can talk. We'll explain everything."

Shana squeezed his arm in thanks. This was NOT going to be a fun conversation.

Snake Eyes stalked out, glaring at her as he walked by. If looks could kill she would have been obliterated on the spot. Even through his mask she could feel how furious he was. Bobby, Sam and Dean followed in his wake, Shana trailed behind.

She paused and half turned to see Storm Shadow looking stunned, still standing in the salt ring. "You coming?"

He seemed to shake himself loose and started forward. "Yes, I need to understand what just happened here."

She nodded and made to move again but said to him. "I wanted to thank you."

He looked at her in confusion, "For what?"

"For not letting me die alone."

With that she walked out, leaving Storm Shadow behind, before he followed her out.

--

The ride back to the Hotel was a silent one. The tension palpable. Even Dean was pretty quiet, not envying Shana the very awkward conversation she had ahead of her.

When they pulled up Snake Eyes was already there and with a pointed glare stalked into the lounge, Storm Shadow close behind.

Shana started to head for the lounge but Bobby caught her arm. "Hold it. What do you think you're doing?"

"I have to talk to him..."

Bobby cut her off, "No you NEED to go clean yourself up. You can't go in there looking like that."

With a start she looked down at herself and only then remembered she was covered in black demon blood, to the point it was dripping from her hair.

She started to stammer, "But..."

"Shay, you're gonna scare the straights. Go get cleaned up, let me talk to him, calm him down a bit."

Her shoulders dropped and she looked at him, "All right."

She turned to head for her room and he entered the lounge. Dean pointed to where Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow were, in a dark, back corner by the pool tables.

He stopped by the bar and made his way to the table where the two men were sitting in silence. One looking traumatized and the other looking furious.

They didn't even acknowledge his presence until he pushed glasses of bourbon in front of both of them. They looked at the glasses, then at him as he held up his own glass. "You're gonna need it. And you might as well ditch the masks. Nobody else in here and I guarantee I've seen worse."

Storm Shadow slowly removed his mask, picked up his glass and took a long slow sip of the whiskey.

Snake Eyes seemed to have adopted an overall attitude of 'fuck it'. He whipped the mask off, grabbed the bourbon and slammed the double like a shot and leveled a challenging gaze at Bobby.

Bobby raised an eyebrow and refilled Snake Eyes' glass.

Storm Shadow spoke next, "His voice remarkably calm. "What was that...thing?"

Bobby lifted the brim of his ball cap before turning slightly to regard the young Japanese man. "Ten years ago you buried a box at a crossroads and made a deal with the person that appeared."

"How did you?..."

"Seen it before. That thing was your contract coming due. A HellHound sent to kill you and drag your soul to Hell."

Storm Shadow gulped down the rest of his bourbon too and held the glass out for a refill.

A few shots later and Bobby had explained everything that had happened over the last few months.

Bobby watched Storm Shadow slowly digest the information and then regarded Snake Eyes. The silent man was taking the information in as well, but he could still feel the anger at the deceit rolling off of him. Hmmm, gotta be a deeper reason for that.

"I'm gonna give it to you straight. I'm a unicorn."

When both men looked at him like he'd utterly lost it he chuckled, "No I don't piss glitter or fart rainbows. I'm an old hunter, you don't see old hunters and for a good reason. We don't tend to survive very long. Shay was thrown headfirst into this shit but took on the life knowing how dangerous it is. I get that you're pissed and you have every right to be. She just didn't want her friends to lose her twice. It was safer, and kinder to let you all think she was gone."

He then stood up and placed a room key in front of Snake Eyes. "Room 127. She should be cleaned up by now." Then he turned and went to join Sam and Dean at the nearby pool table. Storm Shadow hesitated a moment then moved to join them.

Snake Eyes sat and contemplated that key for a long moment before downing the rest of his bourbon and leaving.

:next chapter featuring lemony goodness