"I have a couple leads." Sam's statement made her ears perk up over the kitchen table. She'd been pushing her cereal around in her bowl of milk with her spoon, not eating more than a few bites, each one curdling in her stomach. "I'm gonna head out today with Castiel." His hazel eyes focused on her. "I want you to stay here."
"You gonna cuff me to the sink again?" Her attempt at a joke fell flat and he tilted his head. "Sorry."
"I want you to be safe. Me and Cas will go check this stuff out." He finished his oatmeal. "We'll be gone for a couple days. You got food here and supplies." Sam rose to put his dish in the sink. "You'll be safe here."
"I'm scared." Her soft admission made his features soften a bit.
"You wanna go down to the range?" Sam tried again; he'd asked her a few weeks prior to learn how to shoot, but Riley had adamently refused.
"I'm not gonna shoot him, Sam. I won't." The brunette shook her head.
"You need to know how to protect yourself," he'd argued. "Bobby told you in his letter to let one of us teach you how to use a weapon." She shot him a glare. "What if he attacks you?"
"I don't care what Bobby said... I'm not doing it. Forget it, Sam. He's not gonna hurt me."
"You don't know that. We should consider him dangerous... I don't wanna take that chance," Sam insisted. "Please, just let me show you-," She cut him off.
"No, alright?" Riley snapped back. "You can leave a gun for me, but I ain't usin' it, Sam."
He threw his hands up in frustration. "Riley, you're impossible."
"Thanks."
"Let me show you how to turn off the safety so you can you it." He held out the .22 and she turned her face away. "Damnit... you're as bull headed as my brother was."
The past tense use made her eyes snap to his. "Is. As stubborn as he is."
"Right." He set the gun down and she moved into his arms where he hugged her tight. "You're right. As stubborn as he is." Sam murmured.
Riley gave him a look and he held up his hands defensively. "Fine. I'm gonna get my stuff together and Castiel and I are gonna get going."
At the mention of his name, the angel appeared in a fluttering of wings. "Good morning."
"Hey Cas," Riley murmured, pushing her cereal bowl back a bit. Castiel nodded to Sam, who held up two fingers before leaving the kitchen to grab his bag. "You guys are heading out, hm?"
"How are you holding up, Riley?"
She forced a small smile. "How do you think?"
"Terribly." His honesty made her smile sadly. "We will find Dean and we will bring him back."
Riley sighed softly and ran her left index finger around the rim of her coffee mug. "It's been two months, Castiel." Pause. "57 days since... he's been gone." Her chocolate gaze rested on the tip of her finger as it swirled around and around the mug, steam rising from her freshly poured coffee.
Castiel watched her close off again as she sat on the kitchen stool, a fuzzy blanket around her shoulders. Riley was wearing one of Dean's tshirts and a pair of gray pajama pants that were frayed at the bottom hem. Her hair was wavy and tangled and Castiel studied her tear swollen eyes, ever present bags underneath from her lack of sleep. Her cereal bowl was abandoned now and coffee was all Sam could seem to get in her anymore. He'd given into that, sneaking in vanillla protein powder to every cup of coffee. Not enough to where it would thicken, Sam always made sure of that.
"I'm ready," Sam breezed back in the bunker kitchen, his duffle in tow. He leaned down to hug Riley tight and kiss her cheek. "You call Jody if you need anything. I'll be back in a couple days and I have my phone. Love you, Riley girl." That made tears sting her eyes. Sam smiled when he felt her hug his neck tight.
"Love you, Sammy." Dean's nickname from her lips made him nod, a tightlipped smile on his mouth. "Bring him home."
"You got it." The pair left the kitchen and she heard the garge door open and close a moment later.
The brunette walked back to her bedroom, flopped back on her bed and sighed. Castiel and Sam were gone and she felt exhaustion tugging at her incessantly. Tired was all she seemed to feel these days and it wasn't so much physical as it was emotional. She closed her eyes after setting her alarm on her phone for a couple hours.
Then maybe I'll get up at noon and make some lunch or something, Riley thought to herself. She found herself yawning and pulling her fluffy throw over herself, snuggling into her pillow, still in her pajamas. She fell into a restless slumber and all she could dream of was Dean. No matter how fast she ran, it wasn't enough to get to him. He always seemed out of reach. Her sleep was restless and fitfull as he watched her from the doorway for a long time.
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She squirmed under the blanket, turning her face this way and that before she heard a familiar voice. "Mornin', sweetheart." Her eyes flew open and there he was, sitting on the wooden chair in the corner, a smirk on his mouth and a sparkle in his eyes.
"Dean?" Riley choked out, reaching up to rub the sleep from her eyes. "Dean?" When she opened them again, he was gone but she swore he'd just been sitting there. Her phone alarm went off then, startling her. She shut it off and tossed it back on the bed next to her. "God, I'm losing my mind." She murmured, pushing her messy hair back before untangling her legs from the blanket. She sat at the side of the bed for a few seconds before heading down the hall, clothing in hand, for a hot shower.
15 minutes later...
Riley was pulling on a flannel shirt over her gray tank top when she heard the familiar sound of Dean's footfalls coming down the tiled hallway of the bunker. She dismissed that as safe and fluffed her damp hair with her fingers before she froze suddenly.
Dean was dead.
He'd died at the hand of metatron eight weeks earlier.
Riley was suddenly hyperaware that she was alone at the bunker and Sam had left about two hours earlier, heading out with Castiel on a lead on Dean. The footsteps stopped for a few seconds and she put her cellhone on silent and slid it in her bra, internally freaking out. She cursed herself for not charging her phone while she slept.
Thirty percent battery life was all she had left.
Riley swallowed hard before reaching for the .22 gun in the nightstand drawer that Sam insisted she have. She was shaking so badly, her teeth were chattering and to her shock and horror, the footsteps started again.
"Riley?" Dean's tone was singsong and cocky, so unlike the sweet one he'd always used with her. "I know you're here sweetheart. I saw Sammy and Cas leave. You may as well come out."
Those words made her blood turn to ice water in her veins. She was in her bedroom and before she could react, Dean's boot made contact with her door, slamming it open. He was standing in her doorway, effectively trapping her there. "Hey there, sweetheart." He wore a dangerous smirk and glanced at the gun in her hands. "Aww c'mon, you aren't gonna use that and you and I both know it."
Riley felt the sting of tears in her eyes and she backed away from him, the .22 in her hands pointed at his chest. "Dean?' Her voice broke when she spoke his name; she hadn't really spoken his name since the night he died, then disappeared into thin air from his bedroom at the bunker three days later.
"It's all me." His sillouette was illuminated by the hallway lights and she felt the bunker wall behind her, as cold as his cocky tone. "I've missed you."
"Stop." Dean kept advancing on her slowly and Riley realized he had a hammer in his left hand. "Please." The predatory look in his eyes made her whimper and the tiniest smirk appeared on the corner of his mouth. "Dean, please."
Dean was standing in front of her and he reached out confidently, removing the gun from Riley's grasp without any problem and as he did so, tears spilled freely down her cheeks. Dean tossed her gun on her unmade bed. The brunette's hands moved to cover her mouth. Her eyes were on his emerald ones. He smirked at her. "There. I knew you wouldn't shoot me." His voice was arrogant; never had he used that tone with her.
"Where did you go?" Brielle whispered through her hands. Her brown eyes were locked on his face; there was something sinister about his half smile.
Something dark.
She had so many unanswered questions and the man in front of her seemed... off somehow.
Dean didn't respond; he blinked deliberately and his dazzling green eyes were suddenly an inky black and she gasped softly. He blinked again and they were back to emerald green. "I'm back and better than ever."
"You're... you're a..." Her frightened tone made him smirk again, making her shiver.
Dean flashed her a brilliant smile. "Like I said, better than ever." To his surprise, Riley gave in completely. The scared brunette in front of him slid to the floor, her hands still over her mouth, her chocolate eyes closing tightly. "Riley?" He sounded confused at her actions. Quite honestly, he'd expected a fight from her.
"Just do it." Her choked whisper made Dean cant his head to the side.
"Excuse me?" He sounded confused.
"Just kill me."
"I didn't come here to do that." Dean squatted in front of her. "I came here to kill my brother. Him leaving you alone was just a bonus." Her eyes opened when she felt his iron grip around her forearm and he pulled her to her feet. "You, sweetheart, are what I call leverage." He tossed the hammer on her bed alongside her gun. "Let's go."
Riley tried pulling away from him, but he squeezed harder, making her whimper. "I said let's go."
"Dean, please don't." She pleaded as he forced her into the hallway. In a flash, Dean had her up against the wall, his free hand around her throat and his face two inches from hers. She whimpered when he applied a bit more pressure to her pulse point, making her feel lightheaded. "Please." Her eyes were on his as he towered over her, crowding into her personal space.
"Riley, don't piss me off. Walk." She wasn't stupid; she knew if he took her from the bunker, she was probably as good as dead. She stopped walking a few seconds later and his eyes flashed to black as his temper flared even more with her halted movement.
The sight of those coal black eyes made Riley forget why she'd stopped. "Where are you taking me?"
"Don't worry about it." His grip tightened and she knew he was bruising her forearm. "Walk."
"I need shoes." Her voice was soft and Dean rolled his eyes flippantly. He led her to the front closet and let her go momentarily. She knelt down and shuffled through the mess that was her, Sam and Dean's disorganized array of footwear. Dean watched her pull on running shoes and tie them before she felt him yank her to her feet.
"Go." His tone was dangerous and she let him lead her to the garage where his car was. "Where's the impala?" For the first time, he didn't reference the black car as Baby and that was the moment she realized he was so far gone.
"Sam and Castiel..." Riley spoke softly. He rolled his eyes flippantly.
"Get in the truck." Dean wrenched open the door and she scrambled in, sliding across the bench seat. He pulled the keys down from the visor and got in, starting the truck. He pulled the door shut before opening the garage door. Riley was still in shock, staring at Dean as he drove out the access road towards the main highway.
He glanced over at the brunette was she put on her seatbelt with shaking hands. She looked up at him and dark brown met the dazzling green she'd missed so much. Dean stared back at the woman next to him for a few seconds before turning his attention to the dirt road leading away from the bunker. "You're as beautiful as I remember." That was unexpected and she blinked rapidly, not believing what he'd just said. Riley didn't say anything and he continued. "Did you miss me?"
She turned her attention to the passing scenery out her window. It had started to rain, suiting her dismal mood. "I miss my Dean, not the monster sitting next to me." Her careful words made his eyebrow quirk.
"It's still me."
"No, it isn't."
He glanced over at her again, the sun starting to fade, giving way to the darkness in the east. "You care about Dean."
Silence fell over the truck cab except for the swishing of the truck's wiper blades. "Of course I do!" Her words were soft. "He is family to me. Just like Sam."
Dean chuckled softly. "No, I meant you had feelings for him." Riley just shook her head, arms crossed tightly over her chest, her throat tightening at the way he was trying to bait her.
"Where are you taking me?" She deflected, repeating her earlier question.
"Someplace private. Safe."
She rolled her eyes. "I was someplace safe, asshole."
Dean grinned. "That's the spitfire I love." He glanced over at her, his gaze making her feel uncomfortable. "Sit back and enjoy the ride, sweetheart. We'll be there soon enough." He snapped his fingers and she slumped to the bench seat next to him, fast asleep.
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A/N:
Bobby clearly warned Riley in the letter to let one of the boys teach her how to handle a gun and she refused. Kidnapped by Demon!Dean with low battery life on her cellphone? How is she gonna talk her way outta this one? Reviews are love!
CitrineMama