Ch 46

River walked into the dimly lit bar. A jukebox sat in one corner, loaded with CDs instead of vinyls. A chalkboard above the bar listed special drinks for the convention (Shots of Hunters Helper $3, Lemon Drops $6, drinks called The Ghost killer, The Shapeshifter, Hell hounds, and a fun one called 'Knocked up and Homeless' containing who knows what for $8 each). Small rickety looking tables were scattered around the floor, the periphery of the bar lined in deep booths. She scanned the few people in the bar; being that it was still well before noon the more upright convention attendees weren't drinking yet. Two men stood near the jukebox, a shorter round one and a taller thin one were skimming through the musical offerings. The bar tender, a very bored looking woman in her early twenties wearing some sort of period costume with a long sleeved, high necked button up shirt and floor length skirt was polishing glasses. Then in the farthest, darkest corner of the bar River saw the top of a head, whips of curly ash brown hair rising above the high back of the booth.

She approached him from behind slamming her shotgun onto the wood table causing the author to jump, and dropped her heavy bag on the ground as she slid into the booth across from him. "Hi-ya, Chuck," she said smiling sarcastically.

Chuck's eyes darted quickly between the gun, the hunter and the stack of index cards he had been studying."River….River what the hell are you doing here?" he stammered. His fingers inched towards one of the two shot glasses full of amber liquid sitting in front of him. River swatted his hand aside and tossed back the first shot.

She let out a deep "mmmm" licking her lips, "Top shelf, Chuck. You got good taste." She turned the shot glass over and slid it towards the end of the table, tapping it to signal the bartender they would need more. "Becky, who apparently goes way back with Dean and Sam, invited me." River pulled her phone out of her pocket and read the text message she received from Chuck, "Had Vision. Sam and Dean in big trouble! Demons! Need help! Come ASAP Pineview Hotel." She grabbed the second shot of whiskey and downed it, the liquor burning it's way down her throat and warming her cold stomach. "Where's my friend, Prophet?"

Chuck stammered again as the waitress brought two more shots of the expensive whiskey over. River swatted his hands away again when he reached for one of the glasses. "Which-which friend?" he cleared his throat nervously.

River smiled thinly her eyes filling with unshed tears, "Levi Stoltzfus. Is he alive?"

"I uh….the Amish guy right? I haven't seen him. I mean I haven't had any visions of him…. Are you ok? I dreamed of a black eyed demon grabbing you in a diner."

River nodded, wiping at a spilled tear with the palm of her hand. "I'm alive…Dean and Sam aren't answering their phones. I drove all god damn night and they're not here…. Do you know where they are?"

"I had a…vision," he said quietly, "They were playing poker. I didn't see much else."

River spun the empty shot glass on the table, "Poker?" She nodded and sniffed. "Hmmm….Do you like Becky? 'cause I'm seriously considering shooting her."

"Don't shoot her. She's a little over zealous but she's harmless-I think," Chuck told her. River swallowed down the third and fourth shots of whiskey, grimacing as the alcohol joined the soup of anxiety meds and energy drinks that had been all she'd eaten in the last two days.

"Well, thanks for the drinks, Chuck. Stay classy. I'm going to go get a room and come back and drink some more." She grabbed her shotgun and slid out of the booth, the liquor making its way through her blood stream, helping to warm the frigid layer of fear that had settled over her since her run in with Harob.

She booked a room, the last one left per the receptionist at the front desk and received a pamphlet full of the the history of the hotel which was apparently 'haunted' and the site of several murders. River also picked up a timetable with the schedule of all the different panels and side shows the Con had to offer. Chuck himself was having a panel that evening which explained his nervousness and stack of note cards. She headed up the grand staircase to the second floor of the historic building. There were a few more convention goers exploring the halls, one dressed as a ghost of some sort and another as man with a hook for a hand. She vaguely remembered Dean telling her about having killed the angry spirit of a hook wielding psycho a few years before they met. "Who are you supposed to be?" Hook man asked her in a thick German accent.

River rolled her eyes, fumbling with the key to her room. "Rufus Turner, jackass." She said slamming the door in his face. The room was nice. A large fluffy looking bed with a huge headboard took up most of the room. An ornate dresser, a table with one chair and a small burgundy couch rounded out the furniture. She tossed her duffle bag on the bed along with her shotgun; laid a quick line of salt at the doorway and along the one window and decided to get a shower to look somewhat presentable before heading back downstairs. After her shower she spent extra time doing her make up, she was definitely going to give the other River's a run for their money. She rounded out her clothing choice with a Lynyrd Skynyrd tank top that showed off some of the tattoos on her back, dark jeans, sturdy boots and the hex bag that smelled a little like Sam's feet after he went for a long jog. She carefully put Gabriel's feather within the pages of her journal before locking the room up behind her.

According to the schedule a live reading of several fan fictions (mature audiences only!) was starting in fifteen minutes. Followed by "Frightened little boy: The secret life of Dean" which River wanted to get a primo seat for. She sat painfully through the first two stories. She'd finally had her fill when 'Your Name Reader' decided it was time to be deflowered. "Dean would never turn down sex but I mean come on! Have you ever been in a truck stop bathroom? Would you really want to be de-virginized in a bathroom stall? You're just asking for some sort of itchy rash on your lady parts!" She was ousted from the panel by Becky who had hellfire blazing behind her eyes after that outburst. She passed a group of Sam's and Dean's and a Bobby or two on her way back to the bar.

Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead or Alive" was blaring over the cheap sound system and a few scattered cos-players were singing along. River closed her eyes and groaned internally; she hadn't listened to the fucking song since the night Dean had been dragged to hell. She ordered a boilermaker and an extra shot of whiskey. There wasn't going to be enough alcohol in the building to make this any more tolerable. Seeing dozens of people pretending to be Dean, Sam and for some reason her, along with a slew of 'demons', a few witches and monsters was setting her on edge. She tossed back the shot and started on the cold glass of beer when a young man slid into the seat next to her. "Hi, I'm Dean," he told her."What's your name?"

River rolled her eyes and took another long drink, not turning to look at him. "River." She answered waiving at the bartender for another shot.

"Let me buy you a drink?" he asked watching as River downed the next shot. The quicker she got drunk the quicker she could go back to her room and maybe black out for a couple of hours of sleep. Shutting out the sick feeling of guilt, fear and anger that was growing more intense every hour. She knew all she had to do was burn the Hex bag and let Harob find her again. He'd come sooner rather than later if she was lucky and then all these feelings would be gone. No more worrying, no more fear. She turned towards 'Dean' intending to tell him to go kick rocks somewhere else and saw for the first time the sick reptilian yellow contact lenses he wore.

"What the fuck is this shit? Why the fuck do your eyes look like that?" she snapped.

The guy smiled, "I'm Shapeshifter Dean from Dream a Little Dream. The one where the Shifter finally tracks down River and Dean rescues her…."

"Shapeshifter Dean?" she repeated. It came out as more of a feral growl, her hand squeezing the empty shot glass enough to cause a crack in the glass.

"Hey, it's just….it's just a joke. You know? Don't take it so seriously," the guy lamented.

"A joke? You think its funny!" River yelled. She had 'Shifter Dean' by the collar of his shirt and was fuming. Her cheeks and chest a ruddy pink from the mix of alcohol hissing through her blood stream and fury. "You're cos-playing as a murdering-raping monster." She shook the man roughly. "That thing raped me! Choked me until I passed out, burned me with cigarettes until I woke up. Then did it again and again and again! And it's a joke to you!"

Suddenly two large forms surged to her side. "I think you should leave the lady alone!" a shorter, rounder man said, his voice deep and throaty.

"Or you can see how you like this silver dagger!" the taller, lankier one growled in a faux deep voice. He held an obviously home made 'silver' knife coated in shiny aluminum foil.

"Ahh silver," The 'Shifter' hissed and pulled away,"You win this round hunters!" The 'Hunters' smiled and turned towards River. She sat down heavily on her bar stool and drew in a shaky breath.

Angry tears started to fall from the corners of her eyes and she laughed almost hysterically, "Who the fuck are you two heroes?"

"Oh, yeah sorry," the taller one said, "I'm Sam and this is my brother Dean." The shorter one nodded shyly.

"Well, wonder boys, you wanna drink?" The two joined her at the bar and they ordered a round of "Knocked up and Homeless" which surprisingly turned out to be a blended mudslide. "So what are your real names?" River asked after they finished the first round. 'Sam' ordered the next round of Ghostkillers with extra shots of Hunters Helper.

"I'm Barnes and this is my….boyfriend Demian," The shorter one told her blushing furiously. Demian smiled.

"Nice to meet you, the real you. Don't be so fucking shy. You two make a cute couple." The shots of Whiskey arrived and River knocked hers back, "We're gonna need more of these."

Sam won the poker match against the witch, Patrick, returning Dean and Bobby's gambled years. The celebrations was short lived once the brothers had time to check their phones. Finding several missed calls and distraught voice messages from River along with a menacing text message from Chuck (Life or Death. Demons, Shifters, monsters everywhere. Big showdown. Need Help! Pineview Hotel) they jumped into the Impala and drove to the provided address. Dean cursing the entire drive, Chuck wasn't answering his phone and River's went straight to voicemail. Dean spun into the packed parking lot of the historic Hotel, the brothers jumping out of the car and soon as the tires stopped spinning. They found Chuck outside pacing and talking to himself. "Chuck! Hey man are you ok?" Dean yelled.

The author stopped his pacing, "Hey guys, yeah I'm ok. What are you doing here….shit."

"What do you mean 'shit'? We got your text we've been driving for hours! Life or Death, Monsters and Demons? What the fuck is going on? Is River here?" Dean shouted.

The author raised his hand to calm the agitated hunter. Sam crossed his arms angrily over his chest and stared down at him."Look, it's just kind of a misunderstanding," Chuck began. "We're ok. Everything's ok. River's inside somewhere…"

"A misunderstanding, Chuck? Do you even know how many plates we got spinning right now? We are trying to ice the devil and keep Michael and the other feathered douchebags off our asses….a fucking misunderstanding?" Dean pushed past him and ran up the stairs, Sam close on his heels. They skidded to a halt inside the door much the same way River had done a few hours earlier. The banner proclaiming the Pineview Hotel as the site of the inaugural "Supernatural SuperFan Convention" caught Sam's eye and he slapped his brothers arm.

"What the hell?" Dean muttered as they stared at the crowded room. They were awash in a sea of flannel, blue jeans and "Son of a bitch"-es being muttered. An evil scarecrow walked by them holding hands with a woman in white. A high pitched squeal of delight rang behind them and two tiny arms encircled Sams waist.

"You guys came! I wasn't sure if you'd missed my text!" the voice squeaked from somewhere in Sam's midsection.

Sam untangled himself from the steel grip jumping away form his unseen attacker. He stared down at the short blonde woman. "Becky?!" he said racking his brain for her name.

She stared up at him adoringly, "You've been thinking about me! I've been thinking about you too, Sam!" Becky moved to insnare him in another embrace and Sam took a large step away from her.

"You sent the text?" Sam asked.

Becky nodded and smiled shyly,"I didn't know how else to get you guys here. I figured if you though it was a case you'd rush over and it worked! Because, here you are!"

"What the hell is this Becky?" Dean sighed.

Becky smiled widely, "Welcome to the first ever Supernatural convention! It's a place where fans of these amazing books can convene to discuss and enjoy and cosplay our favorite series! You guys have to checkout all the booths!"

Dean ran his hands through his auburn hair, "Where is River?"

Becky's smile faltered, "Oh. Her. You know if I'd have known she was so….difficult I wouldn't have invited her." Dean was about to repeat his question when he saw a pale, copper haired woman being supported under the arms by two men headed for the stairs.

"Where the hell do you two think you're going with her!" Dean barked striding across the lobby. The men froze and turned towards Dean's angry voice, River looked up drunkly and muttered, "Ahh shit, I'm in big trouble now."

"We're taking her to her room, Beiber," Demian huffed, adjusting River on his arm.

"He called you Beiber! Team 2.0, you guys are awesome." River laughed, "Seriously though D, These guys are fine, totally fine. Nothing to worry about…I jus had one too many Ghostkillers and need to go lay down."

"You two jobbers can drop her and piss off," Dean growled. Sam joined his brother and stared down at the two men on either side of River.

Barnes stepped forward causing River to stumble and laugh again. "Why should we do that pal? She's already been attacked by a Shifter tonight how do we know you aren't a couple of creeps trying to take advantage of a drunk girl?" Dean rolled his shoulders menacingly and Sam went to full bitchface.

"You guys are going to miss Carver's panel. Thanks for the drinks. I need to talk to these surly fellows anyways," River patted Demian and Barnes on the shoulders and motioned them away with her hands. "I'm ok. Fuck off and enjoy the show."

"You were attacked by a shifter?" Dean demanded as soon as the two strangers walked away.

"No, not a real shifter. Just some asshat that would be funny to dress up like the monster that raped me." River swallowed thickly. "Where the fuck have you been? I thought …." Hot tears spilled down her face as she looked up into Dean's green eyes.

"Hey, fuck, don't cry. I'm here now." Dean murmured quietly.

More angry tears spilled from her eyes. "There's all these fucking fucks running around dressed up like you and me….Gods I shouldn't be here." She wiped at her face and almost lost her balance, the alcohol hitting her all at once and making her a little dizzy. "I think I should go back to my room…"

"What's goin' on Riv? You're plastered." Sam asked her as she wobbled again on unsteady legs.

"I decided to go full fuck-up and get day drunk," River answered grabbing on to Dean for balance. "I got the last room anyways so if you two don't wanna spend the night in the car I guess you're bunking with me….or Becky." She said elbowing Sam in the ribs. "She's a little bundle of psychosis isn't she?"

Dean huffed, "You gonna tell us whats going on with you?"

River shook her head, "I got Levi killed." Her eyes flooded with tears again as she buried her face in her hands. "And then I got this text from fucking Becky and I thought…that fucking demon got you. I was coming to rescue you."

"What happened to Levi and what demon?" Sam asked quietly.

She sniffed and wiped at the tears still spilling from her eyes, "Harob.…I pissed him off a while back. Remember Louisiana? Good times. I killed his girlfriends. Levi broke his toy and now Gabe's gone and I'm fair game. I should'a fuckin' known better."

The floodgates opened again and Dean grabbed for her, pulling her tightly to his chest , "Hey, hey it's ok sweetheart. Let's get to your room so we can talk."

She nodded against his chest, "I think I got snot on your shirt."

"This shirts seen worse. Come on." He led them towards the staircase to the second floor.

River wobbling on drunk legs said, "I didn't really think through drinking that much that quickly on an empty stomach." She giggled drunkly, "Dude, I'm fucking smashed. You guys have perfect timing. Sam and Dean 2.0 were really not equipped to get my drunk ass back to my room."

"What the hell do you think you're doing going to your room with two strangers anyways?" Dean murmured.

"What? Barnes and Demian? Don't worry about them. They're cool, we don't exactly play on the same team. You know what I mean?" Dean sighed and rolled his eyes. No, he did not know what River and her drunk ass ramblings meant. "I don't think I can get on the escalator it's moving too fast." They stopped at the base of the stairs and River squinted trying to focus. "Yeah, I'll just sit here and wait a minute."

"River it's stairs, it's not- Forget it," Dean muttered he scooped her up bridal style and headed up the stairs. "Which room is yours?"

"Lucky 13," she told him smiling. "I'm gonna 'boop' your nose."

"Don't."

"Boop," River hummed tapping the tip of Dean's nose as climbed the stairs. Sam laughed. "I miss you, hot stuff. You promise to stop being an asshole, I'll promise not to lie about any more Archangels." She nestled the side of her face into his warm neck.

"I don't make promises I can't keep," Dean replied as he set her down outside the door to her room.

"Well, all my Archangel friends are dead so theres that," She said finally letting them into her room after several tense seconds of struggling against her dulled coordination and the stupid lock. She brushed Dean away several times until the door swung open."Fuck off Winchester, I got it."

"Why don't you take a nap, Princess and we'll hit the road when you're sober?"

River nodded, her eyes half closed, "Thats sounds amazing…I'm gonna miss Chuck's panel though."

"We'll give you the hi-lights," Sam told her.

"You're such a good friend Sammy; when your not screwing a demon bitch." River muttered into her pillow. It was Deans turn to laugh. They barely had time to breathe before a woman's frightened scream echoed through the closed door.

"Shit. Babe we gotta check that out," Dean said. River snored into her pillow as an answer. The brothers jogged out of the room and down the hall where a small crowd of suited and flanneled con attendees had gathered. "Excuse us, move please, professionals coming through," Dean shouldered his way through the crowd followed by Sam's enormous form. A woman sat ruffled in a corner.

"Ma'am are you ok?" Sam asked leaning down and helping the shaken woman to stand.

She nodded still shivering, "I saw…a ghost!" The crowd 'oohed' and 'ahed' pushing in around Dean and Sam. The woman smiled widely, "Gather round everyone and I'll tell you exactly what I saw! It was a full bodied apportion of Leticia Gore herself!"

Dean tossed his head back, groaned and pushed his way back through the crowd towards River's room. Becky caught them in the hallway, "It's time for the LARP-ing! Here's the case file!"

Dean grabbed the paper out of Becky's hand and began to read it aloud to Sam, "Dad's journal." He stopped reading, shook his head and stared at his brother, "The Pineview Hotel is haunted by a vengeful spirit named Leticia Gore. Use all the tools I've given you over the years to solve this case. Find Leticia's bones and burn them before the other teams. The grand prize is a $50 gift card to Sizzler- yeah sounds fantastic Becky. Definitely our type of case." Dean said continuing to River's room where they had left the door open, she still lay haphazardly on the bed, snoring softly. The commotion in the hallway not having disturbed her.

Dean shut the door and turned towards his brother, "I need a drink."

They passed another group of 'Agents' and 'Hunters' interviewing the manager of the hotel. They heard enough in passing to get the gist of the story: One hundred years ago The Pineview Hotel was actually once an orphanage run by a sadistic woman named Leticia Gore. Leticia's temper got the better of her one night and she murdered four boys in her care, then in a moment of regret she committed suicide. Her spirit still walks the halls of The Pineview looking for new victims.

Sam and Dean sat at the bar and ordered shots of "Hunters Helper" while staring disbelieving at the groups of people pretending to be them. "This just gets weirder right? No wonder River got shit faced, I don't think I can handle much more of this myself," Dean muttered knocking back his first shot.

Sam nodded in agreement, "Look at her, the pregnant ginger in the Johnny Cash shirt. Pretty dedicated fan base." Dean looked across the bar at the woman Sam was talking about. He smiled, remembering the way River's t-shirts had stretched over her round stomach. She'd been ever more self conscious of the scars on her abdomen as the babies inside of her grew; even as he found the way her body was changing amazing and beautiful. Selfishly in awe that he had helped create something so awesome that her whole body was being altered. The only comfort he got in those last few weeks were the quiet moments when he would rest his head on the swell of her stomach and talk to his sons, telling them all the things he'd never get to tell them in person. "You ok?" Sam asked after a moment. Dean had been lost in thought the shot glass full of whiskey hanging in mid air.

He nodded and downed the whiskey. "She can't have kids anymore. River." Sam look at him quietly but said nothing. "She uhh said she got her 'tubes tied' or something. After Gabriel healed her. Didn't want to risk it again…she would've been a good mom."

"You would've been a good dad. You still can be, you know one day….I mean you basically raised me and I turned out sort of ok. Besides starting the Apocalypse." Sam said giving Dean a half smile.

"I need to un-fuck this, Sammy. All of it. The world. Satan. Me and River. I need to find a way to un-fuck it," Dean muttered quietly into his empty shot glass.

"Listen to me Tim, this place is really haunted!" A short, chubby Sam cos player shouted at his friend.

"Paul, It was probably just one of the workers," Tim pleaded with his frightened friend.

Paul turned around and wiped at his bloody forehead, "You think one of the workers did this? One of the workers tossed me around, hung me upside down? I saw them Tim! A woman and a little kid and they just disappeared!" The arguing friends stormed out of the bar. Sam and Dean watched them go and shared a silent look. They finished their drinks and headed to the check-in desk. After slipping the annoyed looking man that stood guard behind the counter $50 they got some real info about the hotel. It had indeed truly been an orphanage, there had been murders of four young children at the hands their caretaker, one Ms. Leticia Gore and several of the staff and guests had reported sightings of spirits and other paranormal anomalies.

The brothers thanked the surly front desk attendant and returned to River's room for supplies. She had burrowed her self under the thick comforters but otherwise remained unconscious growling angrily in her sleep when Dean tried to wake her. "Think she'll be ok?" Dean asked.

"Yeah. Maybe just leave her a note and some aspirin in case she wakes up," Sam told him grabbing a box full of rock salt shells and their shotguns. Dean scribbled a quick note on the hotel stationary "Hotels really haunted. Watch out for Casper" and left it along side a glass of water and a couple of aspirin tablets.

River woke a few hours after dawn, her head pounding and eyes gritty. Dean was nestled up behind her, the big spoon to her little spoon, face buried the back of her neck and snoring softly. Sam's huge frame was asleep on the tiny two seater couch, his ridiculously long legs hangings over the arm rest. She gingerly untangled herself from Dean and noticed the note and pills he had left her. "Well, shit, guess I missed all the action," she muttered to herself swallowing down the aspirin and glass of water. She gabbed some clean clothes from her duffle bag and jumped in the shower while the brothers slept. She emerged from the steamy bathroom half an hour later, her long damp hair loosely braided.

"Thats my shirt," Dean said indicating the loose 'The Smiths' shirt River wore.

"Dean Winchester's ready to let the world know he listens to 'The Smiths'?" she asked smirking.

He shook his head, "Keep it. Looks better on you."

"Where's Sam?"

"Gettin' us some breakfast…I got something I want to show you." He indicated Sams laptop that he had setup on the bed. She crawled up and sat next to him. He pushed play and the opening credits for 'Casa Erotica 13' scrolled up the screen.

River laughed, "Really? We're just gonna jump right back into watching porn together? I thought we'd you know…talk and stuff first…."

Deans green eyes shone mischievously and the corners of his mouth twitched, "Watch the movie, smart ass."

River bit her lower lip and turned her attention back to the porn, "Son of a bitch" She muttered as Gabriel sauntered into the frame. Gabriel started his spiel. River's jaw clenching and unclenching as he spoke directly to her. "You asshole how could you be so stupid?" she whispered to the image of her dead friend.

"I'm gonna lay some knowledge on you now so take notes. Without me you are up the proverbial creek and there ain't no paddle. Your best bet now is to put Lucy back on time out. How? Well, you geniuses have already collected a couple rings from the legion of doom so go get the rest. All four rings together make up the lock to Lucifers cage. It's up to you to figure out how to get him back into said cage but with the rings you can make sure that bag of dicks stays there. Now, if you'll excuse me I have some kielbasa to deliver."

River let out a long breath and sat back against the headboard, "And there's Gabriel's ass…" Dean stopped the movie and let River digest the information Gabriel had passed on to them. "There's two more rings left."

Dean nodded, "Only two. We can do this. One way or the other, we can finish this."

She snorted, "Yeah except the two Horsemen left are Death and Pestilence." Sam opened the door carrying cups of coffee and pilfered muffins and fruit from the continental breakfast in the lobby. "So lets just put Death on the back burner for a minute. Because first we have to figure out a way to kill Death. Lets move onto Pestilence, shall we? You heard of the flu sweeping through Asia?" The brothers shook their heads. "No?" She pulled the laptop close to her and typed into a search engine. "The CDC and their international counterparts are calling it the Lóng Fāshāo, Dragon Fever Flu. Over 20,000 dead in less than a week in Lanzhou, China. It appeared out of no where and people started dying by the thousands. Then it burned itself out and disappeared. It's just a matter of time before it's here. Days maybe a few weeks." She handed the laptop to Dean who skimmed the news articles, Sam standing over his shoulder. "I know our priorities guys but….I need to find Levi or the very least that mother fucker Harob."

Sam sat heavily on the bed, "I called Bobby. He's gonna start researching Harob, try and find out if there's anything special about him." He reached across the bed and squeezed River's cool hand reassuringly then got up and took his turn in the shower.

"I fucked up so bad, Dean….He cornered me. He was gonna kill a dozen innocent people if I didn't go with him. I tried to exorcise him. I'm such a fucking idiot! I tried to warn Levi but Harob was too fast. He burned through Levi's wardings. There was all this blood-" River choked back a sob and covered her face in her hands. Her shoulders shook as she tried to cry quietly.

"It's not your fault. Levi knows this life and he's a tough son of a bitch. If Harob killed him he would've left his body," Dean reassured her. "We'll find. We'll fix this, all of this."

"Things were a lot fucking easier when I didn't have anyone else to care about but myself," she said after a few moments. "You and your brother fucked up my plans of dying alone on some hunt somewhere. Best I hoped for was winding up as a Jane Doe in some morgue freezer if there was enough of me left to be found." She stared bleakly at a water stain on the wall across from her for several breaths. "Now I've got all these people…I've got family I can lose and it terrifies me."

"Well, you're welcome," Dean told her. She let out a quick laugh and leaned into him, pressing her shoulder against his. He reached his hand out and faintly ran his outstretched fingers across the top of hers. "I like that thing in your nose."

She smirked, "Yeah? Me too. Gives me character."

His long callused fingers entwined with hers, "I got your message. About wanting to come home…Whats that mean?"

"You…you're my home." She answered voice feather lite. "You're an asshole. And I'm angry at you, I've been angry for a long time. I've been fucking pissed basically since you told me you sold your soul. And everything else after that…I didn't lie to you about Gabe to get back at you or-"

"I know that. I can't take what I said back, what I've done to you. I am fucking furious at myself for leaving you behind. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for the way I am. I want to be better," He murmured. "I want you to come home, too. I'll make this right. I'm begging you for another chance. I don't fucking deserve it. I don't know if I'm even gonna have enough time to fix this before the world ends but I want to try." His free hand cupped her jaw turning her face towards him. Her gaze dipped to his full lips before meeting his deep green eyes. She pressed her lips against his, the kiss quickly moving from chaste and nervous to needy and passionate. She swung herself onto his lap and he groaned in response, tangling his hands in the back of her shirt. The shower stopped and they heard Sam shuffle around in the cramped bathroom.

River broke the kiss, running her fingers through his short hair then down along his stubble covered jaw. "This, me and you, this can't get in the way…not again. We need a win, D." The bathroom door opened and Sam stepped out as River slid off Dean's lap and headed for the door. "I'm gonna get the rest of my stuff out of my car. Meet you outside in ten?" Sam shot his brother a silent but loaded look , eyebrows raised head tilted. Dean silently responded with an imperceptible shrug of his shoulders.

They found River standing beside her car in front of Demian and Barnes, the cos-players, doing some sort of jumping, shaking, high pitched feminine dance of excitement, "Oh my god! I'm so happy for you guys!" Dean joined River as Sam was once again ambushed by Becky.

"What's the good news? You guys win the gift card?" Dean asked.

"No. I mean yes they did," River answered. She grabbed Demian's hand and held it up to Dean's face. A shiny dark grey metal band encircled the fourth finger on his left hand. "They're engaged! You know they met on-line? On a "Supernatural" chatroom and now they're getting married!" She went back to her happy dance and gave both men a big hug. "I expect a fucking invite when you tie the knot. I promise I won't get plastered at the reception. I'll act like a fuckin' lady." The happy couple told her they'd send her an RSVP once they chose a date. Then they climbed into their own shiny black 1967 Impala and drove away. River and Dean walked together towards the giant form of the younger Winchester.

"Becky what are you saying?" Sam had his hands on the diminutive woman's shoulders to hold her at bay. Chuck, prophet of the Lord, stood silently next to the quivering blonde woman.

"I'm saying that this….this undeniable chemistry between the two of us it's just not gonna work. We'd be like gasoline and fire. Our love would burn us up," Becky said passionately. "But Me and Chuck found each other. I'm the yin to his proud yang. The heart wants what it wants and I want Chuck." River and Dean stood behind Becky with eyebrows raised.

River mouthed, "You want me to shoot her?"

Sam shook his head distracted, "No. Becky. The other thing, you said something about The Colt!"

"Oh. Yeah, I was just saying at the end of chapter 33 in "Time is on my side" there was that British chick, Bela, the cat burglar remember?" Becky said. "She stole the Colt out of the wall safe in your room while River was having the snot beat out of her by that Shifter and you two were in Dreamland."

"Yeah, Becky, we fucking remember Bela. What about the god damned Colt?" River snapped.

Becky glanced behind her, noticing Dean and River for the first time. "Well, River, if you had read the book you would have known that Bela lied about giving the Colt to Lilith. She gave it to Lilith's right hand man, a demon named Crowley."

Authors note: If I haven't mentioned it in this story; Levi Stoltzfus is borrowed from Brian Keene's Levi Stoltzfus series of supernatural horror books. Brian Keene is an amazing author and Levi is a badass. So go read a few or all of Mr. Keene's books. And thank you to everyone who is reading, reviewing and following this series. It's summer break and my husband is a teacher so he's home and it's the last summer before our son starts Kindergarten so time is pretty limited for me to write right now. But thank you for sticking with the story and I will continue to write and update as often as possible.