Ch 41
"Another body found", "Single mother with two small children", "Adult dancer". River skimmed the headlines. "Adult dancer? She was a fucking stripper and thats why the police have done fuck all nothing…" she muttered. The bastards M.O was targeting strippers aka 'adult dancers'. It had raped and murdered at least five women in the last two weeks in or around Exeter, New Hampshire. Nothing tied the murders together except for their profession. There was no traceable DNA or fingerprints but in two of the police reports she had managed to hack there had been some unknown biological substance found near the bodies. From there 'Agent Cash' had been able to persuade the medical examiner to let her unofficially assist in the autopsy of the latest victim. She had found more of the stringy, 'unknown' substance under the woman's manicured finger nails. River instantly recognized it as shifter skin. The five women had been employed at three different clubs in the area. She'd already gone through the employee list and hadn't found any potential suspects. The next step was checking into any regular customers or weirdo strangers. "Or fucking anyone because its a god damn shape shifter and who knows what face its wearing today." She thought angrily.
She slumped back against the stiff headboard of her lumpy motel bed. A pile of newspaper clippings and her journal lay next to her; as was Gabe's 'bug out bag'. The bag ended up containing nothing more than a 2-pound bag of peanut M &M's, a can of Tab and a box of Magnum condoms. "In your dreams Gabriel," she had chuckled to herself when she found the rubbers. She glanced at the date of the newspaper on the top of the pile it was January 23rd. Dean's 30th birthday was tomorrow. River had spent her own 28th birthday a few weeks prior holed up in a shitty motel room nursing a concussion while eating a pint of 'Chunky Monkey' and trying to enjoy a 'Highlander' marathon while the city around her erupted in New Years fireworks.
She thankfully hadn't heard from the Winchesters or had any run-ins with Angels, trench coated or otherwise and had been hunting on her own for weeks. It was only mid-afternoon but she was exhausted. She been working nights at the different clubs trying to track the shifter, she'd been close last night. She'd seen shining yellow eyes in her peripheral vision as she was walking the floor; by the time she made it to the spot near the bar the perp was gone. She had a vague face and body shape to go off and hopefully he'd come back tonight wearing the same meat suit. She got up from the lumpy bed, double checked the locks and warding on the motel door, tucked her gun under her pillow and attempted to get some shut eye.
Her alarm woke her a few hours later and she gathered her bag, her gun full of silver bullets and a silver dagger that fit in her boot. It took less than five minutes to drive to the club, she noticed a few regulars, waived at the bouncer Freddie and headed for the dressing room which was little more than a mop closet with a table, a few chairs and a full length mirror. River changed quickly, double checked that her knife wouldn't fall out of her boot if she stood on her hands and sat down to fix her makeup. She finished her last layer of mascara when she heard her phone ring from the depths of her bag. "Answer it or turn that shit off. I fucking hate that song," a tired looking blonde woman in her mid-thirties slumped into the seat next to River.
"Yeah, shit, alright Mindy. Relax," River muttered finally answering the call. "Hello."
"Hey, Riv," Dean's deep voice replied quietly on the other end. She closed her eyes and let out a slow breath. "You still there?"
"Yeah, I'm here D. What do you want?"
"Just wanted to check in…see how you were doing."
"I'm fine. I'm working. I'm busy," she turned away from the woman next to her who was checking the text messages on her own phone.
"Workin' a case?" Dean asked. He sounded tired.
"Yeah, a shifter."
"Angel! You got five minutes move your ass!" a voice thundered into the dressing room, River moved her hand over the cellphones receiver trying to block the noise.
"Alright, Lou, you fuck! I got it!" she yelled back.
"Who was that? Where are you?" Dean prodded.
River sighed, "I told you I'm working a case. I gotta go."
"Wait! Wait, can we just talk?" he asked.
She chewed her bottom lip, "We are talking."
"I want to see you. I'll come help you with your case."
River let out a quick laugh, "No. No. No. That is not happening, Winchester sorry. Call me if you guys figure out how to stop Satan from murdering the planet but until then no." Mindy looked up from her phone at the mention of Satan, pointedly stood up from her chair and moved across the room away from River.
"If this is about you and Cas. It's cool. I get it," he told her.
"This isn't about me and Cas. There is no me and Cas, Jesus. This is about us. All of us and our fucked up lives, Dean." River hissed. She needed to get out on the stage and look for the shifter. "This time it was me giving Cas head in front of a room full of demons. I could barely swallow for two days; he could have fucked a hole through my throat…Last time it was Lilith and her pets ripping us apart. What's it gonna be next time? I get hexed to fuck Sam? Zachariah decides to rearrange our insides so they're on the outside? We aren't helping each other, we aren't good for each other. So no and goodbye, sugar lips." She disconnected the call and threw the phone back into her duffle bag before leaving the musty room.
Her first song started and she walked slowly up the narrow stairs to the stage. The lights flickered above her which wasn't uncommon in this dump but she shot them a wary glance none the less. She focused on the two tasks in front of her, the first to inspect the crowd for signs of the shape shifter and the second to move her ass and earn a little bit of cash. The music was half way through, her shirt tossed to the side, the silver-white star shaped pasties she had stuck to her nipples glittered in the dim, smoke filled light. A strobe light flickered again and for an instant she saw bright inhuman eyeshine coming from a figure near the bar. River sauntered to the end of the stage hoping to get a clear look at the shifters face but was nearly knocked off her feet when the earth beneath them shuttered violently. Every light in the house suddenly turned on and burned bright enough to nearly blind the patrons in the club. Just as quickly the lightbulbs started to hiss and pop, showering River and everyone else in sparks and broken glass then plunged the dank club into complete darkness. The club was quickly evacuated with promises to reopen early the following night granted they could get the glass cleaned up.
River dressed quickly, got her tips from the bouncer and walked back to her car. The street was pitch black, every street lamp had also burst leaving the road littered in glass. She stared down the surrounding streets and saw only inky blackness. The same pattern was repeated every street she passed on the way back to her motel and at the motel also. She had enough light from the screen on her phone to get in her room, lock the door behind her and find her laptop. Thankfully it hadn't exploded during the power surge and after a quick check online it looked like all of New Hampshire as well as the three surrounding states had lost power. "What the shit?" she muttered to herself.
Dean sat alone in his motel room, his clothes still splattered with the blood of the vampire he had beheaded behind the dumpy bar downtown. The clock officially ticked past midnight and he was suddenly a whole year older. He never thought he'd see 30 and now he was positive he'd never see 31. His fingers had dialed River's phone number before his brain had even thought about what to say if she answered. When she did answer he fumbled, he'd wanted to talk to her and make amends, again, for being an asshole and came off sounding desperate. She held her ground and hadn't given him her location but he'd kept her on the line long enough to get a ping on her cellphone. He sat in bed, staring at the ceiling trying to decide if he was crossing the line between concerned and stalker when Castiel appeared at the foot of his bed. "Son of b-I've told you not to do that. One of these days I'm gonna shoot you," Dean said sitting up in the bed.
"Hello, Dean," Castiel replied.
"How'd you find me, Cas. I thought I was flying below Angel radar," the hunter said. He peeled off his dirty shirt, found a less dirty one in his duffle bag and quickly changed. Cas had settled the internal argument he'd been having, he was going to head for New Hampshire to try and find River.
"You are. I called Bobby and he told me where you were." Dean shook his head, annoyed at Bobby's loose lips. He had called to check in earlier with the older hunter. Sam had detoxed from the Demon blood and had left Sioux Falls telling Bobby he needed to get away from hunting and make sure his head was clear. He was a danger to himself and others if he couldn't be trusted not to fall off the wagon again when it came to demon blood. Castiel had gone back out into the wild to search for God and had been off the grid for a few weeks as well. "I need your assistance in locating someone."
Dean ran his fingers through his hair, scratching his dry scalp, "I'm really not in the mood."
The Angel shook his head, "I have a lead on Raphael."
" The Ninja Turtle? " Dean asked, smiling at his own joke.
Cas tilted his head, "The Archangel but he is not a turtle. He would be possessing a human vessel just as I am. He is also the Archangel that killed me."
"So this is about revenge? You're getting pretty dark there, Cas."
"This is about information Dean. We are going to interrogate Raphael," the Angel answered.
"How are going to do that exactly?" Dean stuffed the rest of his belongings into his duffle bag and stared at the Angel.
"We are going to trap him. Much like you and your brother trapped Gabriel."
"What with Holy Oil? I'm fresh out. Didn't close the lid all the way on the jar and it leaked all over my trunk." Dean answered.
"I will procure more when the time comes." Castiel's jaw tightened and he stared at Dean.
The hunter smiled, "You're serious about this. You're Thelma, I'll be Louise and we just sail off this cliff together?"
"I have no idea what you are referencing but if you are agreeing to help me…"
Dean crossed his arms over his chest, "Why should I? How will this help us?"
"Dean, If Raphael can give us God's location then we have a chance at stopping Lucifer. I need your help. Because you are the only one that will help me. I am asking for your help because you are Michael's vessel and no Angel would dare harm you."
Dean touched his index finger to his nose in a 'Got it' motion. "I'm your bullet shield."
"Please." Castiel said again quietly.
"Ok. Ok, where is he?"
"There were signs tonight that he touched down in Maine," Cas answered.
"Fine. Let's go," Dean shouldered his duffle bag and looked back at Castiel. Cas nodded and raised his fingers to Dean's forehead. Dean knocked his hand away, "What the hell are you doing?"
"I'm going to fly us there," Cas told him.
Dean shook his head, "Nope. I'm not doing that again . The last time you zapped me somewhere I didn't poop for a week. We're drivin' and we're making a stop along the way."
They arrived in New Hampshire early the next evening. "Did River ask you to help her?" Castiel asked.
Dean shot him a look across the bench seat and turned the volume down on the radio. "Not in so many words. No." He glanced at his phone to double check the coordinates before he pulled into the crowded parking lot of 'The Honey Pot'. "She's hunting a shapeshifter. She has history with their kind. I just want to make sure she's ok."
"We need to find Raphael." Castiel said.
"Yeah, well I need some twenty five cent chicken wings. Come on," Dean said pointing at one of the flashing signs on the dirty windows. They found an empty spot at the bar, Dean ordered a couple of beers and 3 dozen chicken wings. He tapped his fingers on the bar impatiently letting his green eyes roam over the shadowed faces in the crowd. He focused on the spurts of conversation he could hear over the annoying techno music. It wasn't the skeeviest strip club he'd ever been in but it was definitely up there. Just the place a piece of shit shifter could easily pick up victims. "This place is a dump…." he mumbled.
The bar tender handed Dean a plastic number with his food order and two bottles of beer. Dean in turn handed one of the bottles to Cas who stared at it quizzically. His blue eyes narrowed in concentration as smelled the amber liquid, "I'm not going to drink this Dean."
"Yes you are." He glared over the top of his own beer at the Angel. "Do you see any short, pissed off gingers anywhere?" The Angel shook his head, grimacing at the tase of the cheap beer. Dean sighed next to him and pulled out his cellphone with the intent to call River again. Maybe she'd already ganked the shifter and moved on, then at least he could enjoy his chicken wings and maybe a birthday lap dance before he and Cas got back on the road.
The douchey music ended and the MC broke over the din of the crowd, "Alright, alright, alright. Thank you Starla Maxx. Starla is available for private dances and parties. Prices vary." A high pitched whine screeched over the intercom as the MC fiddled with the sound system. Dean turned back towards the bar to waive the bar tender down for another round. "Got something a little harder for y'all now. I know how you like to get hard," The MC laughed stupidly at his own joke and Dean took a long pull of his second beer. He was pretty certain his chicken wings weren't coming. "Let's give a Honey Pot whistle to Angelfuck!" Dean almost pulled a muscle in his neck spinning towards the stage. Whistles erupted here and there from the dark corners of the club.
The slow intro riff of Danzig's 'She Rides' started and River walked confidently onto the stage heading straight for the silver metal pole in the center. She done her hair in tight, bouncy curls that swished when she walked. Dean's Adams apple bobbed several times as he tried to swallow muttering "Son of a bitch" in a sort of chant under his breath. Castiel's eyes narrowed to thin blue slits. River jumped up, grabbed the pole and worked her magic. Her eyes constantly roaming over the crowd, the bar area hidden in darkness from her angle as she slid down the pole. She turned herself up and around hooking her legs around the pole and came down on her hands first, slowly swinging her legs over head before standing back up. Hips swinging slowly in tune with the music, tiny black boy shorts with shiny cherries flashed the crowd. One hand grasped the gold zipper on her bra top and pulled it down. She ran her tongue around her dark red lips suggestively at a bald man standing near the stage as the top fell to the floor. Tonight she wore sparkly red cherries on her nipples to match the ones on her shorts. Dean spilled his beer, his mouth had ceased to function and he was making sputtering noises. Castiel gripped his bottle so tight it finally shattered in his hands. Dean turned to look at his friend, still making the same sputtering noises. Cas disappeared suddenly, leaving nothing but a puddle of beer and broken glass. A second later the trench coated Angel appeared on stage in front of River.
"Castiel? What the fuck?" she yelled. Cas grabbed her hand and in another instant they were gone. The crowd hissed and booed as the bouncer ran to the now empty stage. Dean set his beer bottle on the bar and hustled out of the club. He heard faint, angry yells coming from the alley and headed that way. "What the fucking fuck, Cas?" River stood in front of the taller man, one hand pushing into the Angels chest. "How dare you! How fucking dare you!"
"Why are you taking your clothes off in front of those strange men?" The Angel asked her.
"Don't flap your wings at me!" She yelled, "I am working Castiel."
"Yeah, looks like you're workin' real hard," Dean drawled. She spun on her heels to face him still three-quarters naked. He tried not to smirk at her.
"You tracked my phone didn't you? Asshole!" she crossed her arms over her chest.
"What the hell are you doing stripping again?" Dean demanded.
"I need money, Dean, you know for food, ammo and occasionally I like to sleep in a bed."
"So you're stripping? You're a fucking nurse go back to doing that for a while."
"How? My fingerprints are in every law enforcement database identifying me as a dead serial killer!"
"I taught you how to play pool. We made plenty of money doin' that." Dean yelled back.
"Pool? You want me to hustle pool for cash? That's a lot fucking easier to do when I'm with two huge guys that can handle themselves in a bar fight in case things go sideways." She took a deep breath, the bright red cherries stuck to her nipples glinting under the one dim flood lamp in the alley. "You know what? I don't have to explain myself to either of you. I am working a case. Like I told you yesterday. A murdering, raping mother fucking shapeshifter that is in there right fucking now. Was in there. You two assholes probably tipped him off!"
"Who is it?" Castiel asked quietly.
River worked her jaw back and forth angrily, "The Charlie Brown looking jerk off by the stage." Castiel's face went blank as he tried to decipher the message. "The short, bald fuck in the yellow shirt!" she yelled. The Angel nodded and disappeared.
Dean sighed loudly. River crossed her arms back over her bare chest and shivered in the cold air. "You said weren't very good at pole dancing."
She shrugged, "Yeah well I lied. I'm pretty fucking good when I need to be."
"You're a pretty good liar when you need to be too." It was her turn to sigh and roll her eyes. "Sunflowers?" he asked quietly after a moment, eyebrows raised. Rivers fingers trailed over her left hip where she had two small, bright sunflowers tattooed.
"I got it for Zeppelin and Bowie. Closure, I guess," she sighed. "Levi got me this book on grief and self-help….bunch of hippie bullshit."
Castiel reappeared with Charlie in tow. "Hey, hey. I don't know what this is about-" the short round man stuttered.
"The fuck you don't," River hissed pulling her silver knife out of her boot. She stalked towards the man, he tried to run but Castiel held him fast. She held the tip to the mans cheek and the flesh started to bubble and burn, the shifter hissed in pain and jerked his face away from the silver blade.
"Fucking hunter bitch!" he seethed. Castiel's grip on his shoulder tightened and the shifter cried out in pain. Dean scanned behind them quickly making sure no one heard the shifters yell.
"How many women have you raped and murdered?" River asked him quietly.
"Fuck you."
"River." Dean urged checking the alley again.
She dragged the silver blade across his other cheek, "How many?"
"I lost count after thirty," he smiled sickly at her.
River shook her head, her coppery red curls bouncing. "Why?"
"Why not? You humans strut around pretending your at the top of the food chain; it's fun to remind you how easily broken you are." He blinked his second set of eye lids, letting his yellow irises and oblong reptilian- like pupils show. She plunged the silver dagger into the shapeshifters heart. It grunted once and sagged to the ground at their feet when Castiel released his grip.
River wiped the bloody knife off on the shapeshifters shirt before tucking it back in her boot. She retrieved a small key ring from the other boot and tossed it at Dean. "That's my car, if you two want to stash him in the trunk I'll go get dressed," she pointed to the small, dark blue Honda parked at the opposite end of the alley. "Be back in 15." She turned back towards the club and disappeared around the corner. Dean's shoulders twitched in annoyance and Castiel's eyes were once again narrow slits. Dean opened the trunk to Rivers car and found she'd already prepared to dispose of the shifters body. The trunk lined in plastic sheeting and there was a small shovel, bottles of lighter fluid, and salt tucked into a duffle bag in the back. Cas deposited the dead shifter into the trunk like it was nothing more than a small sack of flour and not a 200 pound monster.
"I don't believe she should begetting naked in front of those men. Many of them are married," Castiel finally said as Dean slammed the trunk closed. Dean laughed and shook his head.
"Those are the ones that give me the biggest tips," River replied walking up to them. She'd changed into a Star Wars T-shirt, hoodies, jeans and had a black beanie pulled down over her hair. She held her hand for her key and Dean silently deposited in her palm. "I already have a spot picked out to burn and bury that fucker so….you can follow me I guess and then we can go get something to eat. There's this little place down the street that has amazing pancakes."
She led them to an abandoned cement factory a few blocks from the strip club. The three dug a shallow grave for the shifter, Cas tossed him into the hole and River dropped a match. "Look who's still on the top of the food chain, fucker." She muttered as the flames ate away at the body. "So who wants pancakes?" River asked clapping her hands after they filled in the shallow smoking grave. Dean let out a long breath, a muscle twitched in his jaw. "Are you gonna give me the silent treatment?" River finally asked.
"No," Dean answered.
"No to pancakes or no to the silent treatment?" she asked turning away from the grave. She threw the shovel into her trunk.
"Yes to pancakes. No to the silent treatment."
"I don't want pancakes," Castiel added.
River smiled. "Ok, then. Yeah this won't be awkward at all…" They left the cement factory and headed to a less sketchy neighborhood. A small brightly lit diner was the only thing open on the street.
They choose a booth near the back of the diner and the waitress came to take their orders. "Three orders of the banana bread pancakes, three black coffees, two slices of pecan pie?" River nodded and handed the waitress the plastic menus. She drummed her fingers on the table nervously looking across at Dean and Castiel. Dean stared at her like she might spontaneously combust at any moment, Castiel's eyes were downcast and he wore a small frown.
"River, I wish to apologize again for my actions under Famines influence," the Angel mumbled. "I never meant for…that to happen. Or to harm you, ever, in any way."
Rivers cheeks grew warm and pink, her eyes wet and shining under the bright fluorescent lights. "Don't apologize. Don't do that. Please," she sniffed. "It happened. It was fucked up. You didn't do anything wrong, Cas. I couldn't stop him either." She paused as the waitress poured their cups of coffee. Dean shifted uncomfortably next to Cas. "It could've been worse. It could've been a lot fucking worse…" she muttered taking a sip of the hot coffee. She briefly met Dean's green eyes before looking away. "I don't want it to happen again. Ok? I care about you, Cas. I do and I'm sorry if this confused you or I don't know… But sex screws things up. I care about you and I don't want to loose you as a friend. Unless you don't want to be friends anymore?" River gave him a small nervous smile.
"I wish to still be your friend," Castiel told her.
River gave him a bigger smile, "Ok. Great…So where's Sam?"
"We're takin' separate vacations for a while," Dean said. "He needs to get his head straight. I need to get mine straight too."
She nodded, "So the way you're getting your head straight is by stalking me?"
"I'm not stalking you."
"It's kind of stalker-ish to show up at your ex-girlfriends work and then get your buddy to grab her." The waitress dropped of their plates of food and gave Dean and Cas a wary look before retreating.
Dean gave the waitress a chagrinned smile then turned his green eyes back to River, "I didn't tell Cas to grab you and I am not stalking you. I was concerned-"
"Funny how you weren't concerned when you ditched me in Ohio," River said taking a bite of pancake.
"I didn't come here to argue," Dean replied.
"Why the fuck did you come then?"
Dean sighed and looked to the Angel. "We are searching for Raphael," Castiel told her.
"The Ninja Turtle?" she asked spearing another slice of banana pancake.
"The Archangel," Dean clarified.
River nodded, "The tri-state power outage and the earthquake. That was Raphael making landfall?" Castiel nodded. "Why the hell are you looking for him?"
"Well, unlike that feathered douche Gabriel, Raphael has been in heaven. Cas thinks he might know where God is." Dean grumbled.
"Right. 'Cause then maybe God could elbow drop Satan back to the pit?" River sighed and took another drink of her coffee. "Well, good luck with that."
"You don't wish to assist us?" Castiel asked.
"No not really. There's a case in South Carolina I'm gonna go check out."
"Look, I'm sorry ok. I'm sorry we left you in Ohio. I'm sorry I've been a dick…Sam could've died. We all could've died."
"Sam broke the fucking world because he wouldn't listen. I lied to you about Gabriel. You…." she trailed off and took a deep breath, "We all made our choices now we have to deal with them."
"Where is Gabriel?" Castiel asked.
She shrugged, "I left him in Miami judging wet t-shirt contests." Castiel nodded and disappeared causing their paper napkins to flutter in his wake.
"I don't want you out there on your own. I want you with us," Dean told her.
She shook her head stubbornly, "No. Same song different verse Dean. We make up, we fuck, pretend everything's ok until the next wave of shit and then what? We do something shitty to each other. You mess around, I lie or run away. We aren't good for each other, Winchester."
"You don't mean that," he said quietly.
She chewed her bottom lip and looked away from him, "I don't know how to make this work."
Castiel reappeared at the table, "Gabriel is no longer in Florida."
"Well, color me shocked. It was nice catching up. But I have a job to get to." The waitress came back with bill and River reached into her bag for some cash.
"Try not to give the nice lady any bills that were stuck in your G-String." Dean muttered.
The waitress wrinkled her nose at the cash River still clutched in her hand, "I'll just come back."
Rivers face and chest burned with anger. She took a sip of her now lukewarm coffee then dumped the rest of it on Dean's half eaten pancakes. "Fuck you, Winchester," she pushed the plate of soggy pancakes into Dean's lap, grabbed her bag and stormed away.
"Fuck!" Dean said to himself picking pieces of wet, sticky pancakes off his jeans. River abruptly turned back towards the table while digging through her bag. Dean thought for a moment she might shoot him. Instead she pulled out a garish sparkly pink gift bag.
She slammed the bag onto the table,"Happy Birthday. I was going to take it by Bobby's but I just can't seem to make it to South Dakota. I bought it with money that was most definitely stuck in my G-String, so if you don't want it- fuck you." Dean stared at her retreating back and then watched through the grimy window as she climbed into her car and drove away before he reached for the bag. Inside was a box wrapped in rainbow unicorn wrapping paper, a small package wrapped in more glittery pink tissue paper and a card. He opened the card first reading River's messy handwriting:
"Happy Birthday Hot Stuff! You're officially ancient in hunters years. Don't drink it all in one sitting. It's meant to be sipped like you're a fucking gentleman- Love, River"
He opened the box and found an Ichiro Single malt Japanese whiskey, "Fuck." He ripped open the pink tissue paper next and found a vintage Led Zeppelin tour shirt, "Double Fuck. I am such an asshole!"
"What's a G-String?" Castiel asked from beside him.
Authors note: Thank you everyone for the reviews. I had a moment and needed to vent. Extra thanks to Ladysunshine6. I promise Dean will stop being an asshat soon. I love Dean don't get me wrong but he's got to find his way through the muddy waters of being in an adult relationship with someone other than his brother lol.