Ch 51

Dean promised they would text or call her daily. Bobby gave the brothers a list of jobs to hit up while on the hunt for the Horsemen. Before they left, Dean took River into a dark corner of Bobby's back hallway, tangling his hands in her hair and kissing her long and hard. "Stay here, stay safe. Please," he had reiterated again after pulling away from her.

River wanted to tell him things were going to work out instead she gave him a half smile and said, "Where the hell else am I gonna go, Winchester? All my other friends are dead." She let out a long breath and readjusted the crutches under her arms, "Like you said, I can't hunt. I can't run if something tries to eat me and I definitely don't want to be another demon piñata so I'll stay here at Fort Singer and get fat and lazy until my leg is better."

He smiled down at her, "Good. I like extra padding."

She ran her hands along his jacket, "Stay here or we can go somewhere else. Like the Grand Canyon, until our trench coat wearing blood hound sniffs out the super douches."

"You and the Grand Canyon…" he laughed. "If we live through this shit it'll be our first stop. I promise."

"This shits our life, Winchester," she replied.

"Dean! Time to go!" Sam yelled from the kitchen.

Dean leaned down, ran his lips gently over hers and murmured, "Our life." She nodded silently.

"Look, Don't get me wrong. I'm glad you're ok girl," Bobby said wheeling himself to the dining table where River sat watching Dean and Sam drive away through the dirty plate glass window. "But this ain't gonna turn into some injured list pity party."

"Pity parties are my favorite kind of party, Papa Bear," River said smiling at him.

River sighed and grabbed her crutches as the Impala disappeared between a precariously leaning tower of smashed cars and out of sight. She made her slow, staggered way from the cluttered dining area into the library. Her wrists aching with each swing of the crutches and halting step with her good leg. It was painfully apparent Bobby was going through a rough spot in the short time since everyone had gathered for a few hours of food, booze and music; trash and fast food wrappers littered the floor as did dozens of beer and whiskey bottles. She kicked a metal wastebasket towards the desk and started dumping empty liquor bottles into it.

"Now, don't go messin' with my filing system," Bobby grunted at her. "You start moving stuff and I'm not gonna be able to find anything."

River shook her head, "Bobby I'm going to suffocate under all this clutter." Dean had made her flush her remaining stockpile of pills down the toilet before they left the motel in Wyoming and she needed something to keep her busy. Something mundane to keep her mind too occupied to drift into the toxic wastelands of depression. Cleaning Bobby's eternal bachelor pad seemed like a benign enough activity. She grabbed for an aged looking scroll that was laying partially open on top of a stack of books. Bobby suddenly rolled forwards and plucked it out of her hand.

"That's something I'm workin' on translating…" he mumbled tucking the scroll into his jacket.

River nodded, "Yeah ok…" She watched as Bobby rolled out of the library then turned back to cleaning his desk. She glanced at the open books on his desk; lore on demon deals, End Time omens and Levi's Bible. She picked up Levi's bible and flipped through the pages, notes and spells were scribbled into every available space. River sighed and gently placed the Bible back on top of the nearest stack of books. Three trips to Bobby's dumpster later and she had, at last, cleared all the trash from the library. Now she could work on organizing and sorting his hoard of literature. "One room down, six to go," she muttered to herself looking back to the clutter covered kitchen.

Dean held up his promise and called River at least daily over the next two weeks. The brothers had smoked a Wendigo, a half dozen demons and ganked 'The Bunny Man' while on a side trip to Virginia. "I can't believe you guys got 'The Bunny Man'. I'm so jealous. Was he actually wearing the suit?" River asked. She and Bobby were lounging on his soft, lumpy couch watching movies while a thunder storm for the ages raged on outside.

"Yeah, he was. Freakiest damn shit I've seen in a while," Dean answered.

"Did he have the ax?" The TV flickered with another epic clap of thunder and River glanced out the window behind the couch. The scrap yard was brilliantly lit with electric white light as lightening crashed somewhere on Bobby's property.

"Mmm-hmm, sharp as shit too," he said biting down on his lip to deaden a grunt of pain as Sam stitched up the gash in his back.

"Did you get hurt?" she asked worriedly as more thunder shook the house. Bobby seemed unbothered by the storm and sat transfixed by the movie.

"No. I'm good. Just a scratch. What are you and the old man doing?" Dean answered. Sam laughed behind him as he continued the stitches. Dean had come within an inch of having his head cleaved in two by the Bunny Man's ax. Sam had tossed the match and lit the serial killing spirit on fire a nanosecond before the edge of the blade made contact with his brothers skull.

River leaned forward on the lumpy couch and picked up her coffee cup full of wine, "Me and Bobby are getting drunk on boxed wine and having a Drew Barrymore marathon."

"Well you two idjits cut the chatter so I can finish my damn movie!" Bobby hollered on cue.

"Bobby's having a moment with 'Ever After', don't mind him," River said quietly into the phone. "Where you guys headed to now?"

Sam patted Dean's arm to let him know he was done and Dean rolled his shoulders testing the stitches. "Housatonic. Our old babysitter, Donna, called looks like she's got an angry spirit on her hands."

"Sure you don't want to swing by and pick me up?"

"Good try but no. Finish your movie and stay out of trouble. Talk to you tomorrow Princess."

"Be safe." River told him goodbye and set the phone down next to her cup of wine. Bobby surreptitiously wiped tears off his face as Danielle and Henry finally got to live happily ever after. Another round of thunder shook the foundations of Bobby's house finally knocking out the electricity just as the credits rolled.

"God damn Bobby, are the storms always this bad?" River asked groping in the darkness for the flashlight she knew was stashed on the side of the couch.

"Only if it its gonna be a good storm season," Bobby answered her before sliding back into his wheelchair. "Goodnight darlin'." He rolled down the hallway relying on memory to maneuver around the piles of junk that lined the walls.

"Night Papa Bear," she answered reaching her fingers under the cast to scratch an annoying itch.

Dean didn't call the next day but he did text and let her know they had made it to Massachusetts in one piece. They found Donna's house and it indeed looked like she and her family were being harassed by an angry spirit. The ghost had attacked her young daughter, Katie, and scratched the words 'murdered childe' into her stomach. The brothers had encouraged Donna and her family to leave their home for a few days and let them take care of business. They now sat at a burger joint in town, utilizing the free WiFi and trying to find some legitimate information on the history of Donna's house. Dean was trying to enjoy his bacon cheeseburger but was distracted by Sam's incessant shaking of his 'Lite Chicken Salad Shaker'. Sam felt his brothers annoyed eyes on him and set that shaker down. Even the zitty teenager manning the cash register was staring at him. "Don't mind me. Shake it up baby." Dean said.

Sam gave his brother a chagrined smile, pushed his long hair out of his face and finally tucked into his salad. "Donna looks good, huh," He said after a few bites of salad. His eyes still scanning the website in front of him. "Didn't you have a big time crush on her? I remember you would get so excited when Dad would tell us we were swinging by the Bay State for a case." Sam's eyes finally left the laptop screen and scanned the kid at the cash register. He was still openly staring at him and his brother. The kid, Jeremy per his clip-on name tag, was a non-entity as far as Sam could tell; 5'6" and 120 pounds of teenage angst wrapped up in a minimum wage uniform guaranteed to keep pussy at a 50 yard distance. Sam gave Jeremy a half smile and the kid turned away from the front counter and stiffly walked towards the deep fryer.

Dean took another bite of his burger and nodded, "Yeah, that long blonde hair and round ass made many an appearance in 11-year-old Dean's wet dreams."

"Gross dude," Sam muttered.

Dean shrugged, "She looks good though, right? Family life seems to be treating' her right. Hell of a lot better than the messy flings with Dad….You ever think about having something like that: a life, settling down with a wife, have a couple rugrats?"

Sam shook his head, "No. Not anymore…You? You and River made up again, you guys gonna make a go of it when things settle down. If things settle down?"

Dean laughed and brushed crumbs off his fingertips, "We're all probably gonna be dead in a couple months Sammy. The only thing I can do is try not to be a complete fucking dick to her again."

"You really think we're all gonna die?" Sam asked quietly. Dean avoided the question by clearing their table and nodding towards the door. Sam shut his laptop and let out a deep sigh once again noticing Jeremy staring at him. He was going to call out to the kid but his phone rang and he answered it instead. "Hey Riv, whats up?"

"Hey, Samsquach. I found a Sumerian tablet mixed in with Bobbys shit. I think its about talismanic locks. It's gonna take me a while to translate it but maybe it'll lead us in the right direction or any direction as to how we use those douchebags magic mood rings to lock Lucifers feathered ass back in the Pit," River answered. She leaned over Bobbys now clean desk and stared down at the clay tablet. Her crutches forgotten against the wall a few feet away.

Sam slid into the car next to his brother and said, "That might really help Riv. While you're in the research mood you think you can try and dig up some info on a local legend, Maggie Briggs. She was a witch supposedly hung in the backyard of Donna's house. I can't find any info on where she might be buried."

"Yeah I'll look into but it's gonna have to wait until later. Me and Bobby are going to get a pedicure. Do you think they'll only charge me half on account of the cast?" River asked. The house gave a sudden shudder causing River's carefully curated stacks of books to topple over. She let out a startled cry, losing her balance as the ground rolled and fell to the hard floor. She heard Bobby curse in the next room and Sam's frantic voice echo over her dropped phone.

"What the hell happened?" Dean barked.

Sam put the phone on speaker and both brothers took turns yelling, "River!"

She finally picked up her phone, "Fuck I'm here. Calm down. Just another earthquake."

"Since when are there earthquakes in South Dakota?" Dean yelled.

"I'm not a fucking seismologist, D. Bobby says they're fracking in the next county maybe thats what it is. Maybe it's an omen...Either way me and Bobby can handle it, after our pedicure."

"You aren't handling shit, River. You're recuperating," Dean yelled at the phone.

"Yeah, ok Dean. We gotta go before Linh Hahn's gets busy with the blue-hairs from the senior center. I'll text you if I find anything on the witch bitch," River told them before disconnecting the call.

"Son of a bitch. You think it's an omen," Dean asked.

"I can look into it later. Lets finish this case for Donna and then we'll see if there's anything brewing in South Dakota," Sam told him. The salt and burn in Housatonic was pretty straight forward once they found Maggie's body. What wasn't so straight forward was the trio of underage witch wannabes led by none other than Jeremy the burger flipper. Jeremy cast a 'Freaky Friday' spell in which he switched bodies with Sam. It took a good twenty-four hours for Dean to catch on that his brothers sudden indulgence in bacon cheeseburgers, booze and blonde cougars wasn't Sam's way of letting off months of pent of frustration. After beating the snot out of the little snot riding around in his brothers meat suit and running into a few less than friendly demons the kids explained to the Winchesters that they were merely trying to cash in on a bounty. A bounty that had been placed on Dean's head by none other than Lucifer himself. Dean's likeness, last known whereabouts, and aliases had been spammed to every coven, demon nest and monster hangout on the planet.

"Look Jeremy, I just want us to be crystal clear on one thing," Dean glowered down at the nervous teenager, his green eyes almost black with suppressed anger. "If you and your friends were of voting age you would be dead. Because me and my brother would have killed you. And now I got your name and your address so don't be surprised if you see me roll into town occasionally because if I so much as get a whisper you dipshits are up to black magic fuckery again I will kill you." He took one menacing step forward, "Let me know now if any of thats not jiving with you."

"No…no sir," Jeremy cleared his throat nervously. His two friends were wide eyed and teary behind him. One of them sniffed loudly and wiped the sleeve of her dirty hoody across her frightened tear streaked face."We understand. No more black magic fuckery." Dean nodded to his brother and they climbed back into the Impala leaving the trio of ex-witch wannabes to walk home in the drizzling rain.

"Well that was entertaining. But uh…you might want to get swabbed or something at our next stop," Dean said as they drove away.

"What?" Sam demanded.

"You…Jeremy took home a skeevy lookin' MILF last night." Dean nodded, "Yeah, sorry. I thought she wasn't your type but you know…maybe it was a beggars-can't-be-choosers type of situation. And who am I to cockblock?"

"Thanks dude," Sam grumbled suddenly very aware he did have a strange itching sensation in his crotch. He pulled out his phone to check for any messages from River or otherwise; seeing none he decided to give her and Bobby a call to update.

"Who are you calling?" Dean asked checking his watch. It was almost 3am and normal people would have been asleep hours ago.

Sam shifted in his seat, not sure if the itch in his pants was real or his own neurosis at not knowing who his body had had sex with. "We haven't checked in with River. I want to give her and Bobby a heads up on the 'Hells Most Wanted' reward."

"No. Don't do that. Definitely not over the phone. I'll tell her about it in person when we swing by Sioux Falls," Dean said. Demons and every other nefarious character would be gunning for the reward. The less reasons he gave River to jump ship at Bobby's and look for trouble the better.

Sam tucked the phone in his pocket and let a long breath, "Dean you've got to tell her."

"I will. Just not right now, ok? Can we just try and survive the next couple of weeks?" he said to his brother. "We stay away from any cases that seem witchy or demonic, unless its Pestilence or Death. We just have to hope no one recognizes my handsome mug if they run into us."

Sam brushed his hair out of his face, "Yeah I guess."

The brothers spent another week blowing through towns, scratching cases off Bobby's list. The weird weather in and around Sioux Falls seemed to lift. Bobby and River growing more accustomed to their own less than perfect routine, meaning Bobby usually passing out drunk in his wheelchair in front of the small desk in his room, the long archaic scroll laid out in front of him. River had tried several times to lay eyes on it again but even in the deepest drudges of his alcohol induced stupor Bobby would will himself awake and hide the scroll away. River worked on the Sumerian tablet even getting most of it translated before she realized it had nothing to do with Talismanic locks and everything to do with an ancient spell for better crops. "Son of a bitch," River muttered angrily tossing the useless tablet back into the chest she had dug it out of.

She grabbed her crutches and headed upstairs to Dean's old room. The cast on her leg was driving her insane, the weight and unwieldiness of it, the crutches constantly under her arms and the near incessant itching that she just couldn't reach. Her broken ribs had healed, the bruises faded, the scars on her wrists were shiny and pale. She had taken to covering them up with strings of Stevie Nicks-esque bracelets she had picked up at the weekly swap meet in town. The cattle prod ,however, had left lasting damage; a dozen or so scattered burn scars littered the other wise pale landscape of her body. She stared angrily at the raised red and pink burns marring her back, abdomen and thighs. When Gabriel had healed the ugly scars on her abdomen, erasing the constant reminder of her worst attacks, she had been relieved. Now Harob had left his own permanent marks on her body. Perpetual reminders of Levi's murder and her own human weakness. How easy would it have been to just say 'yes'? Become an all powerful witch, use the power to try and take down Lucifer and then be damned to eternal torment in Hell. River shivered in the warm room. Hell was definitely not on her top 10 dream vacations.

Her phone rang just as she was curling up with a book and getting ready for bed. It was Dean checking-in, he or Sam had yet to miss a day of communicating with her in some way. The brothers had run into a dry spell with cases and Dean had relayed that they were thinking about wasting a couple days in Atlantic city. "We haven't made the annual Winchester Vegas weekend in a couple years. Atlantic city's the next best thing and we won't be all the way on the West Coast if shit hits the fan."

"Go. Play blackjack, pool shark for a while, hit a strip club or three because it looks like my career as a pole dancer is once again over," River sighed. "I look like I got attacked by radioactive mosquitos. I can't cover this shit up with glitter or makeup. I'm back to being broke... Maybe I can stand at freeway off ramps with a sign that says 'will kill monsters for food and ammo'."

"You really think I'd let you strip anymore? I almost had a fucking aneurysm watching you and your ass up on that pole." He said stretching uncomfortably on the stiff motel bed. Sam was dead to the world in the bed next to him, earbuds in and completely tuned out for now. "What are you wearing?" he asked, suddenly bored and lonely.

River laughed, "Something incredibly tight, low cut and lacy. I've been eating ice cream for breakfast for the last week and it's all gone to my tits and ass. Too bad you're not here to enjoy it."

"Smart ass," Dean muttered. "How's your leg feel?"

"I don't know. Itchy. Heavy….why don't you and Sam come home? If Cas finds anything he'll let you know. I miss you. I'm bored. South Dakota sucks."

"Maybe after we run amok in Atlantic city. I think I'm gonna call it a night…unless you wanna have phone sex?" Dean asked and she could hear the mischievous tone in his voice.

She laughed again, "No. Sorry, Winchester. Sam woke up half way through last time; totally killed the mood remember?" Dean groaned. "Just save all that pent up sexual frustration for a while and I promise I'll give you a lap dance once the cast comes off."

"Send me a nude at least," Dean begged. River snorted laughter and hung up on him.

His phone dinged with a text alert just as he drifting to sleep. "Delete this immediately or I will murder you," Rivers text read. The phone dinged again with another message and Dean choked on his tongue. Even in the photo he could see the nervous pink blush across her cheeks; she wore one of his flannel shirts and nothing else. His mind floated in a thousand different directions as he finally fell asleep. He dreamt of River and her promise. He watched slack jawed as she danced. The same woman that couldn't carry a tune to save her life, lived in layers of jeans and band shirts, and constantly tripped over her own feet when she wore high heels was stalking slowly towards him. Her round hips swaying in time with the music, wearing shiny black high heels that served no discernible real life purpose and a bedazzled thong she normally wouldn't be caught dead in. But hell it was his dream and he was going to enjoy it. She quietly sang along with the AC/DC song echoing in his dream. The dream club was empty except for him. She sat on his lap arching her back into his chest and grinding her ass into his crotch "Shit, Princess. You're gonna get me thrown outta this place," Dean groaned his hands trailing up her sides, down her thighs, fingers sliding down the tiny piece of fabric covering her sex.

She looked over her shoulder at him and smirked, "No touching the girls, Hot Stuff."

"Yeah, but you're my girl," he murmured into her hair.

"This is what you dream of?" A bemused, silvery voice broke Dean's trance. Instantly River was gone and standing a few feet in front of him was none other than the angel, Anna.

"Anna?" Dean said shocked. It had been months since they had seen the crimson haired angel. She had completely disappeared after River confronted her in the Impala on their way to rescue Castiel's vessel, Jimmy. "This is very awkward," he added under his breath shifting on the plush couch to hide his erection. Anna's lips twitched into a knowing smile. "Why are you gate-crashing my head? This dream was just about to get interesting. Can't you swing by the hotel in the morning?"

"Dean, I'm in your head because I can't find you." She answered sitting down next to him.

Dean nodded, "Oh yeah, shit. Cas did this thing…where the hell have you been anyways?"

"I've been in prison. Upstairs. I just broke out," Anna's dark eyes were worried. "Castiel didn't tell you. Of course not. Why would he?" she continued under her breath.

"Prison? Are you ok?" he asked.

"Yeah. For the most part. Castiel, set me up. I got caught because of him. He was always such a good little soldier," she said her voice dripping with contempt.

"Things are different now, Anna. You have to know that. Cas fell from Heaven to help us. He's cut off and we could really use another Angel on our side just about now. I can get River to sheathe the claws if it's for greater good."

"Look, Dean. I'm not here on a social call. I need your help," Anna voice faltered and for a moment Dean remembered the young mortal woman she had been before her grace was returned.

He nodded, "Yeah. Of course. What can I do?"

Anna smiled gratefully, "Meet me at 225 Industrial and hurry. The other Angels are searching for me and I can't let them find me." Dean woke with a startled grunt. He ran one hand along his jaw, reaching the other towards his phone on the nightstand. He kicked at one of Sam's long legs waking his brother as he called Castiel.

"Hello Dean," Castiel answered almost immediately.

"Cas, we need to talk. We're at the New Dawn Inn room 213," Dean told him. The Angel appeared before him a second later. Sam sat up on his bed groggily, checking the alarm clock with disgust.

Dean tucked his cellphone into his pocket and glared at the Angel, "Guess who just took a stroll through my head?" Cas raised his eye brows quizzically. "Anna. Anna who just tunneled out of Heaven's version of Shawshank."

"Dean, are you saying Anna told you she escaped from Heaven?" Castiel asked.

"Yeah, that's exactly what I'm saying Cas. And she needs our help. You handed her over to those feathered dickbags."

"Dean, I was under orders," Cas told him. "There is no way Anna escaped. If she is out it's because they let her out. What exactly did she tell you?"

"Nothing. Just gave me an address where she wants us to meet her," Dean answered.

"Alright, then let's go," Sam said.

"No. You two will stay here. I'll make sure it's as she says," Castiel told the brothers. He disappeared with a flap of his wings causing the curtains to flutter in his wake.

Sam yawned loudly, "I'm going back to sleep. Wake me up if we got a job to do."

Castiel touched down in the abandoned building. Long dead lightbulbs brightening then exploding in showers of electric sparks as he snapped his wings tightly against his body. Anna stood waiting for him. "So the Winchesters don't trust me?"

Castiel smiled wryly, "No they do. I don't. I wouldn't let them come."

Anna nodded, "Castiel, I want to help. That's all I've ever wanted."

Cas's cool blue eyes narrowed, "No, Anna. If you're here. It's because they sent you. Zachariah or one of the others is pulling your strings."

"Where are they?" Anna asked smiled thinly.

"Somewhere safe, somewhere you or the others can't find them. Tell me, Anna, why do you have that knife." Castiel asked slowly circling his former commander.

Anna reached one lithe arm behind her and pulled a dagger from her belt loop. "Am I not allowed to protect myself, Castiel?"

"That knife won't work on Angels. But mine will," Castiel's Angel blade dropped into his hand from within the long sleeve of his trench coat. "Anna, what's your angle? I haven't the time or patience for this."

"I know how this all ends Cas. Dean can't stop it. There is only one way to stop it… Lucifer can not take his true vessel. Sam Winchester must die."

Castiel shook his head, "There are other vessels."

"Other vessels? You mean that decaying corpse, Nick? Lucifer's grace is barely keeping that thing together. He needs Sam and he will stop at nothing to get him. If Sam is gone Lucifer's entire plan is short-circuited. The Horsemen will go back to their day jobs. There will be no Croatoan virus."

"Even if you did kill Sam, Lucifer would bring him back to life." Castiel said.

Anna smiled, "Not if I scatter his cells across the universe. Lucifer will never find all of him. Then the world is safe for a few more millennia."

"No. There is another way. We will find it," he said adamantly.

"The Colt? Finding God? How are those plans working? Oh, right they aren't. These humans you care so much about are going to continue to die. And for what? We can end this tonight."

"Anna, I was honored to serve with you. At your side and under your command. But if you come anywhere near Sam Winchester I will kill you." Castiel warned her his Angel blade still gripped tightly and hanging at his side. She nodded once and disappeared. Castiel made a side trip to Syria and Crete for a few specific items before returning to the Winchesters motel room. Sam's big form was once again splayed out on his bed, his pillow pressed over his head to mute the lights and noise from the TV. Dean was channeling surfing to kill time while the pot of coffee he had put on to brew percolated on the counter next to the chipped sink. It was a little after 3am according to the clock on the nightstand. He had considered calling River to update her but decided against it. If Anna couldn't find him and his brother because of Cas's warding she couldn't track River either. And even if Anna did pop into River's head he was sure his redhead would drop-kick the Angel into the stratosphere before giving her their location.

Castiel reappeared in their room causing the TV to short circuit and the lamps to flicker. "So?" Dean asked as Castiel set his bundles of dried herbs and a Kambaba Jasper crystal on the small dining table in the center of the room. Sam once again stirred and sat up on the foot of his bed, the brothers watching as Castiel drew an Enochian sigil on the table and began to grind the herbs into a fine powder with an ancient rough hewn pestle and mortar.

"Anna is not to be trusted. She plans to kill Sam in an attempt to deprive Lucifer of his one true vessel and stop his march towards Armageddon."

Dean ran his hands through his hair, "Just couldn't keep my dick in my pants. I knew sooner or later I'd run into a Glenn Close."

"What's a Glenn Close?" Castiel asked sniffing his concoction of herbs.

"A psycho bunny boiling bitch," Dean answered.

Sam leaned forward resting his elbows on his knees and watched the angel work. "Would it work, Cas? If Anna kills me, would it stop Lucifer?" Dean shot his brother a worried look then turned his green eyes towards Castiel.

The Angel shook his head, "It's not an option." He lit a candle and dripped the wax in an intricate pattern around the crystal.

"What are you doing?" Dean asked him.

"We need to find Anna. This spell will help me track her," Castiel answered.

"Do you really think it's a good idea to go searching for the Angel gone Terminator?"

"Dean, I served with Anna for thousands of years. She is singular in her endeavors, it's what made her such a strong leader. She will not stop until Sam is dead. I must find her first and kill her." Castiel recited the Enochian incantation and the sigil and crystal caught fire. He stared intently into the acrid smoke for several tense moments. "Damn it. I've found her."

"Where the hell is she?" Dean asked.

"No where. When. She's in 1978," Castiel answered.

Sam stood up from the bed, "I wasn't even born yet. What the hell is she doing in 1978?"

"Mom and Dad," Dean answered. Castiel nodded, "She can't get to you because of me. So she's going after your parents. I have to go now and stop her."

"No way Cas. You're not going alone. That bitch crossed the 38th parallel going after our mom and dad." Dean told him.

"Dean's right, Cas. This is our fight." Sam added.

Castiel sighed, "Time travel is…difficult even with Heaven's full power behind me. I'm alone on this and taking both of you with me could complicate things immensely."

"Thanks for the words of encouragement, Doc Brown. Lets hop in the Delorean and fuck up the time-space continuum," Dean said smiling.

"I have no idea what any of that means." Castiel sighed checking his pocket for his Angel blade, " This may be unpleasant." He grabbed Dean and Sam by the shoulders and before they could steel themselves there was a great rushing of air as if they were being sucked into a vacuum, their ears popped painfully and then they the landed in Lawrence, Kansas circa 1978. The brothers glanced at each other none the worse for wear; the trip hadn't been that bad. Castiel landed next to them a second later, let out a pained groan then vomited a mouthful of blood at their feet and passed out.

Several states away River screamed herself awake. The dream playing out again and again, seared into her memory. She closed her eyes focusing on the images Zachariah has shown her. The smug, self assured Angel had popped in uninvited and taken her to Detroit. "If you love him you will help him see that there is only one way to stop Lucifer. He can't win alone. Michael is waiting for him but his patience grows thin," he gave her one final shit-eating smirk. "Watch how your world ends."

It was after midnight in the city. Street lamps flickered here and there, the only sounds were their feet slapping against the asphalt as they ran through the streets. Her lungs burned. She wanted to stop and ask what the hell was going on. But Deans hand encircled hers in a life or death grip. "Run baby run," he yelled and jerked her forward. The sky above them flared alight as if the sun was rising a billion miles too close. A flash of orange and white soared towards one another a thousand miles above the city. The lights collided and the force created a sonic boom that caused every widow in a 100 mile radius to explode. Glass rained down around them, shards cutting their exposed arms and face, getting stuck in their hair. People rushed into the streets, screams of panic and terror rising to the heavens. The ground shook, buildings crumbled and fell to the ground around them with the after shock of the sonic boom. Then silence. Absolute silence. The terror stricken people that had not been crushed to death were frozen in place staring up at the blinding orange-red light that now filled the sky. Then a new sound bubbled up, sounds of feral, hate filled snarls as the people around them started attacking one another. Blood and gore filled the streets and still she and Dean continued to run, barreling through and over bodies, around chunks of fallen apartment buildings. They jumped into the Impala, Dean kicked her into gear and with a screech of tires blasted them away from The Motor City. She had turned around in her seat, watching as the orange-red light drifted to the ground. A figure appeared in the middle of the light and even across the distance she knew who it was. The shaggy auburn hair, the ridiculous height and the once friendly, soft hazel eyes belonged to none other than Sam Winchester.

The house around her remained silent. Her screams had apparently not woken Bobby out of his drunken stupor. She glanced at her phone checking the time and making sure she didn't have any missed messages or calls before tucking into one of the pockets of the shorts she had worn to bed. She hadn't heard from the brothers in a few days and figured they must have made it to Atlantic City. "Fuck you, Zachariah. You sanctimonious piece of shit," she muttered grabbing her crutches from the foot of the bed. She made her way down the stairs and into Bobby's kitchen where she started a pot of coffee. The ground vibrated suddenly causing dishes in the cabinets to rattle. Just as quickly the rattling stopped and the coffee maker beeped signaling it was done.

She was half way through her fourth cup of coffee when Bobby rolled in. "Mornin'," he grunted. River tipped her coffee cup in a return greeting. "Earthquake wake you?"

She laughed, "I'm from Southern California, Bobby. You and I have very different definitions of earthquakes." A quick knock at the front door drew the attention of the hunters. "You expecting company?" River asked him.

"I'm never expecting company," he answered quietly. They made their way as quietly as they could, River's crutches making halting thumps on the wood floor, the wheels on Bobby's chair squeaking. A blurry shadow stood in front of the thick, bullet proof glass on Bobby's front door. The older hunter grabbed two shotguns from the umbrella rack near his desk, knowing they were loaded but checking them anyways before handing River one.

The figure outside the door shifted impatiently. "River McGregor I know you in 'dere girl. Come on out naw." The woman outside yelled in a thick Creole Accent.

"Fuck," River muttered. "Ursula, is that you?" she yelled in return.

"How many udder VooDoo priestesses you know girl? Now open da door so we can talk like friends or I rip it off da house." River tilted her head towards Bobby and they both pumped their shotguns. Threats were going to get this bitch killed.

"I don't know what the fuck you're doing here Ursula. But this is your one and only chance to leave in peace or so help me I'll send you home to Papa Legba." River threatened. Ursula laughed, a high pitched noise completely void of any humor. Bobby's reinforced front door screeched loudly then flew back from the hinges. Early morning sunlight filtered around the woman standing on the porch. Her long braided hair was perched in a giant bun on her head. High cheekbones and flawless tawny skin making her stunningly beautiful. But her eyes glowed from within with a deep menacing purple light.

"Where is Dean Winchester?" she demanded walking across the threshold of Bobby's front door.

Things in 1978 didn't exactly go with out a few hiccups. Anna didn't kill John or Mary Winchester. It's not that she didn't try because she did. She would have succeeded to if not for the Archangel Michael intervening. John Winchester, in a moment of desperation had given the Archangel consent to enter his body in order to save his wife. Michael killed Anna, erased John and Mary's memories and before sending Sam and Dean back to their present had a heart to heart with the elder brother. "I promise you Dean, if you give yourself to me I can stop Lucifers campaign to end your world. I can send him back to the Pit and when I am done I will leave you. You will be whole, unharmed and allowed to live the rest of your life how you see fit."

Dean smirked and shook his head, "No. Not gonna happen. We'll figure something else out. Something that doesn't include half the planet being burned alive while you and your douchebag brother duke it out."

Michael smiled, "Dean, you're still acting as though you have a choice in all of this. Free Will is an illusion. This is God's plan, it was set in motion thousands of years ago. Every step you have taken and still have to take, every choice you have made and will make brings you closer to your destiny. Brings you closer to me. See you soon, Dean." Before Dean could reply the Archangel sent him and his brother back to their motel room. A quick check of their phones revealed they had been gone for almost three days.

"I'm going to be in such deep shit with River," Dean muttered. He had to give her some excuse for his sudden absence.

"How about you just tell her what the hell is going on?" Sam told him.

"I don't really think it's a conversation we should have over the phone: hey babe, guess what? I gotta a demon bounty on my head. And do you remember Anna? The Angel I screwed behind your back? Well she went full Terminator and tried to murder my brother and our parents. But good news is Michael smote her to shit. Oh and we are still completely screwed."

"I think that's a good enough summary of our current situation," Sam replied. Dean didn't have to calling River though. She ended up calling him.

"Hey, sweetheart. I was…I was just about to call you," Dean said into the phone.

River let out along annoyed breath, tucking a sweaty piece of hair behind her ear. She stared down at Castiel's brown trench coat. The Angel had appeared before her mumbling incoherently before collapsing on Bobby's kitchen floor. "Hi, sugar lips, I got a funny story to tell you. If you have time but time is relevant, right? Not so much linear but more wibbly-wobbly."

"Shit," Dean muttered. He was in deep for sure. "How'd you-"

"How'd I know you went back in time to save your parents from 'Glenn Close'? "

Dean threw Sam a pleading look. Sam shrugged his shoulders and cracked open a bottle of whiskey. "Cas must've made it back alright…."

"Alright? Yeah I guess if by alright you mean he's currently comatose on Bobby's kitchen floor. I should probably tuck a pillow or something under his head…." River added wiping her dirty hands on her jeans. "Oh yeah my funny story. You ready for it? 'cause it's a fucking doozie."

Dean grabbed the bottle of whiskey from his brother and took a long pull from it, "Yeah, Princess I think I'm as ready as I'm gonna be."

"So I don't know if I ever got around to telling you all the shenanigans I got up to while you were Down Under," River started. "All sorts of stupid shit. Made friends in low, shady places. Places I thought could get me to you. One of those places was New Orleans. I headed down to swamp land to tackle a coven of witches that supposedly had a Necronomicon. A real one…" She paused to nudge Cas's unconscious form with her cast. He grunted but remained asleep.

"Anyways got down to New Orleans and the coven was already dead. Apparently there had been some sort of turf war between the Grand Witch and some Voodoo queen named Ursula. I went to Ursula to see about the Necronomicon but she had already destroyed it. Me and Ursula hit it off; she was cool mama jama extremely powerful, old and full of all sorts of dark knowledge. I was actually headed back down to New Orleans the day Cas busted you out to summon a couple big wig Loa's."

Dean pinched the bridge of his nose, "I remember. You and Bobby talked about it."

"Mmm-hmm, well obviously I never went back to Ursula. Haven't seen or heard from her in what? Year and a half, two years? Time flies. Until this morning when she showed the fuck up on Bobby's front porch.…"

"Baby, what happened?" Dean asked his voice tight with worry.

"When the fuck were you going to tell me about the bounty!" River yelled. "Maybe a fucking heads up would've been nice, Dean. Instead I've got to hear about it from a two hundred year old Voodoo Queen!"

"River-"

"Do you have any god damn idea how hard it is to kill a Voodoo priestess and make sure she stays the fuck dead! Let alone doing it with one good leg and Bobby 'Hell on squeaky wheels' Singer as my side kick?" River yelled again.

"Actually, I don't," Dean replied calmly.

"Well let me fucking enlighten the two of you because I can hear Sam laughing in the background….37 rounds of salt and silver buck shot to start with. Then I had to cut her up in little pieces with a machete coated in lambs blood. Then I had to burn the bits and pieces to make a special offering to the Loa's that guard the four winds and beg them not to return her very fucking pissed off soul to the land of the living." River took a long angry breath through her nose.

"How'd she even find you?" Dean asked.

"How the fuck should I know, Dean? I'm not an expert in Voodoo," River replied.

"What about the rest of her coven? Aren't they gonna be a little miffed you ganked their queen?"

She scoffed, "Yeah I'm actually not worried about them. I FedExed Urusla's heart back to them with 13 iron nails in it as a fucking warning to stay the fuck away from me and my family."

"That's uhh…that's very harsh," Dean said.

"I have my fucking moments, Winchester." River replied. She let out a deep breath, her ankle gave an angry throb and she sat heavily in one of Bobby's rickety kitchen chairs. Rufus's laugh echoed from Bobby's sitting room. The other hunter had shown up just as River and Bobby were dragging Ursula's bullet riddled body down the wheelchair ramp. "Oh, also Rufus came by and wanted to know how pissed I'd be if he cashed in on your bounty."

"How the hell does Rufus know about it?" Dean asked.

"Because he knows things, Dean. Just nothing useful like where the hell the Horseman are hiding…" she answered. She chewed her lip for a moment. The dream Zachariah had shown her still fresh in her memory. "Are you guys ok? I mean after Anna and Michael...You and Sam aren't going to do anything stupid right?"

"Like more stupid then time travel with Mr. Comatose?" he replied. "No. "

"Alright, just keep me in the loop. We're a team remember. This isn't yours to fight alone."