"We did have that class together... my name is..."

There was a single word spoken from behind the young woman standing in front of Riley and it was spoken with a simultaneous snarl from the Winchester brothers. "Meg."

Riley's expression changed from shock to confused in a couple seconds and Dean immediately drew a knife from the inside of his jacket. "Dean, no."

"Hi boys." Meg smiled slightly, not even bothering to look over her shoulder at the two hunters she'd run across several times. "Long time no see."

Riley stepped closer to the brunette, studying her closely. "Wait, you know them?"

Meg seemed a little forlorn all of a sudden. "It's a long story..."

"Cut the shit Meg," Sam's words were laced with venom. Dean reached out and grabbed her elbow roughly and Riley protested, her hand reaching out to him. His eyes snapped to hers, warning her silently to back off.

"We need to take a little drive." Dean led Meg out of the nearly empty bookstore by her elbow, followed by Sam and a very confused Riley, who jogged down the couple of steps and across the sidewalk to keep up with the boys' long strides. Once at the car, Dean opened the trunk and pulled out a pair of handcuffs. Meg rolled her eyes at the item and he smirked.

"Are those really necessary?" The brunette attempted to pull her arm from his iron grip.

"Yeah, like I trust you not to smoke out. Handcuffs on. Now." Meg gave Riley an apologetic look. "Don't look at her."

"Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?" Riley could feel the panic rising in her chest and she felt Sam's hand on her lower back. "Sam?"

"We can't have this discussion in public..." Was all he said and Riley shoved his hand away, a glare on her features.

Dean opened the back passenger door and tilted his head. "Meg?" The woman slid inside, handcuffs on her wrists resting on her lap and Dean's emerald gaze moved to Riley. "Get in." She stepped down off the curb and the flash of anger in her eyes made him double take, surprise on his features when he saw the look in her eyes.

"Don't fuckin' bark orders at me, Winchester." Inside the car, Meg giggled and Sam leaned down to shoot her a glare, his forearm on the roof of the impala. "What the hell is going on here?"

"Get in the car." He repeated and she stared at him, unflinching. "Ry, I swear..."

Riley just shook her head, already making her mind up that she wasn't sleeping in his room tonight. Never had she had
Dean bark orders at her and she felt an anger welling up inside her that she'd never felt towards him since the night they'd met at Bobby's.

Riley and Dean stared one another down for a few seconds before she slid inside the back behind the passenger seat and looked over at Meg apologetically. The door slammed shut and the two men got in the front seat. As Dean started the engine, Meg reached one handcuffed hand out to Riley and squeezed her hand. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Riley's head was spinning at this point with the lack of information coupled with the fact that she'd coincidentally run into the very woman she was looking for.

And the boys knew her.

"Don't talk to her." Dean was looking in the rearview mirror and Meg rolled her eyes at him. "She's a demon, Riley."

The brunette rolled her eyes. "You always have to treat me like a second class citizen, don't you, Dean?"

Riley digested this information, studying the features of the woman next to her. Her curly hair fell in waves to her shoulders and her dark brown eyes rolled back at Dean's obvious distaste of her. This was the same woman she'd befriended at the beginning of her first semester. They'd spent countless hours together, doing research and in study groups at the campus library. They'd sat at coffeehouses after big tests and had even gone shopping together. "Meg?"

"It's true, Riley."

Tears sprung to her eyes and she looked down at her lap while Sam watched from the passenger seat, his lanky body shifted towards Dean so he could make sure Riley was safe. "You lied to me?"

Dean let out a rude snort and Sam saw Riley throw him another glare. "Riley? I never lied to you." Meg said carefully. "All those times we spent together meant something to me. It was nice to... have a friend." Riley met her eyes. "I kept some things from you, yes, but I never lied to you."

"Alright enough. So who was the TA?" Dean spoke up from the driver's seat. "Who made Riley research the Mark before it was on my arm?"

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Back at the bunker, Castiel was waiting for them and he spoke as the foursome came inside from the garage, Meg in handcuffs. "Hey Cas..." She offered a careful smile and his expression softened the slightest bit.

"Meg." He almost sounded disappointed. "The dungeon is ready, Dean."

"Dungeon?" Riley grabbed Sam's arm and he stopped, his eyes moving to hers as Dean led Meg towards the storage area. "Sam, what the hell?"

"You had your secrets, we had ours." Was all he said.

"What are you going to do to her?"

Castiel was still standing there and answered without a filter. "Make her talk... by whatever means are necessary."

"You gonna torture her?" Riley looked back and forth between the two men incredulously.

Sam and Cas shared a nervous look and Riley took off towards wherever Dean and Meg disappeared to and yelled out. "Dean?" She turned the corner and saw the storage door open and inside, Dean had tugged away a sliding bookcase to reveal a room she'd never been privy to before.

There was a devil's trap on the floor and Dean led Meg to the chair, forcing her to sit down rather roughly and her angry voice made him freeze. "Dean." He stilled for a few seconds, his back to her. Riley felt Castiel and Sam move in behind her. Dean didn't answer her, didn't look at her, just secured the ropes around Meg until he was satisfied. "You are not torturing her."

"She's a-," Sam spoke from behind her and she held a hand up, silencing him without even looking at him. Dean straightened, meeting his brother's eyes first, then dropping his gaze to Riley's.

"You're gonna torture her? To get some information?" Dean just stared at her, his jaw working. "You do that, and I swear..."

"What'd you expect?" His voice was deadly, his adrenaline thrumming through him. "You're the new kid here, Riley. Let the big boys do the job."

Riley's face softened. "I guess..." She paused purposefully. Her gaze held Dean's and she spoke again. "I guess I just expected more from you, Dean." Med was watching the scene before her with interest and sat back at her friend's words. That statement made his eyes flash to his brother's again, then back to hers. She moved towards Meg and his iron grip locked around her forearm and she yanked back from his grip. "Let go."

"She's dangerous." Dean ground out.

Riley was seething with anger at this point. "The only dangerous one I see right now isn't Meg." The air was so thick in there it was getting uncomfortable and Sam cleared his throat, knowing the two of them were getting too close to crossing a line with one another. "She was my friend." That made Dean roll his eyes flippantly. "Cas?"

The angel stepped forward. "Yes?"

"I wanna talk to Meg. Will you stay in here?" Her question implied that the brothers leave while she did so.

Dean turned his glare on Castiel and the angel spoke. "Dean, I'll be right here." The older man stalked past Riley, his arm brushing hers. Riley waited until the door slammed shut before turning to Meg.

"I'm sorry."

Meg smiled a little. "He's got anger issues. I'm used to it by now." Riley pulled a stool over near her friend. "Thanks for sticking up for me..."

"You've never been anything but nice to me." Was Riley's reply. The girls were quiet. "Who was the TA?"

Meg sighed. "You know him as Mr. Roads. His name is Crowley."

"Crowley?" Castiel asked, surprise on his face.

"He made sure to assign you the Mark... he needed research to be done. He needed you to do it."

"Why?"

Meg sighed. "Don't you think I can feel all that goodness running through you? Your holy blood was the key to this whole thing, Riley. I was just a pawn on the chess board." She paused there. "He knew you'd eventually cross paths with the Winchesters. That's where the story ends."

"Ends?"

The flapping of wings signaled Castiel's sudden departure and Riley felt her throat getting tight. Thirty seconds of silence passed while she looked down at her lap, digesting this new information. Sam, Dean and Cas practically burst back into the room. Riley felt Dean's hand on her shoulder as she remained seated on the old chair near the devil's trap.

Dean pulled out his phone and made a call. "Crowley? Get your ass here, now." Riley looked up when her TA suddenly appeared in a few feet in front of the group. "You're behind all this?"

"Hello, Miss Riley." He spoke to her and she just stared at him. "No pleasantries to exchange, hm? Right to it then."

"You're over helping out at a college?" Sam snarked and the man in the black suit rolled his eyes. "Doing volunteer work too?"

"No Moose." Crowley turned to Meg. "My dear girl here was to befriend Squirrel's little girlfriend and help with research while I assigned her to the Mark of Cain." Dean's hand was still on Riley's shoulder.

"I don't understand." Castiel spoke up.

"You, my darling Riley Ann, were merely an insurance policy." The man met her confused gaze. His eyes raised to Dean. "Did you honestly believe that I was going to leave the fate of the darkness in the bumbling hands of Moose and Squirrel?"

Dean's jaw worked as he processed this new information. "So this whole damn time... you were the one pulling the strings, Crowley? Through Bobby, Elkins, the Mark? Everything leads back to you?" The sharply dressed man smirked.

"Why Riley?" Sam spoke up.

"Isn't it obvious? The holy blood, Moose. It ensures the Mark is kept under wraps." Crowley turned to Dean. "Your little girlfriend here was the key to this whole plan. The Mark stays on her, the darkness is kept locked away."

Sam shifted, his arms crossed over his chest. "So how did you now that Riley would even sacrifice herself by taking the Mark from Dean? What if she hadn't done that?"

Crowley rolled his eyes heavenward. "Are you two even listening to yourselves right now? Her father was a hunter. When he left, Bobby practically raised this girl. Saving people, hunting things?" He paused. "The family business? Riley was first raised by her father, who sacrificed his family for the safety of others and then Bobby Singer, who would and did sacrifice his life time and time again for you two idiots." Dean and Sam shared a look before their gaze moved back to Crowley. "She is the epitome of sacrifice. " Crowley turned his attention to the brunette in front of Dean. "Now Riley, my dear girl, is there anything else you'd wish to know before I go?"

"You're damn right there is," Dean ground out and Riley spoke up softly.

"What happens when I die? Will I turn... like Dean did?"

A smile actually graced his face at that. "The holy blood neutralizes that urge. When you die, you die. No knight of hell. No hell, actually." Riley felt Dean grip her shoulder a little tighter. "One more thing." He pulled open his suit coat and pulled out an item that made the Winchesters suck in a breath. He stepped forward and handed the first blade to Riley, who took it with shaking hands.

"What's this?"

"The first blade." She turned the relic over, studying it before looking back up at the man in front of her. "It can only be used with the Mark and since you are in control, it belongs to you." Dean, Sam and Cas watched her examine it with baited breath.

"The first blade like... in the bible?"

"Indeed." Pause. "How does it feel?"

"Heavy. But how did this survive?"

"I've kept it safe." Was all he said. Then Crowley clapped his hands together. "Well, this little reunion was fun, but we must get going."

"Now hang on," Dean spoke. "You're giving this to us?"

"It belongs with the Mark, Dean." Crowley spoke with certainty. "Meg, I'll see you back at home." His disappeared and Riley blinked rapidly at his sudden departure.

Sam stepped forward to untie and uncuff the woman in front of them and she stood up. "Maybe I'll see you around, Riley." She offered a small smile. "It was nice being somewhat human again for a little while. I enjoyed our time together." Sam scratched the edge of the trap, allowing her to leave. "See you around, boys." She disappeared before their eyes.

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Hey readers!

Shout outs to starlily16, kittybear98, ButterflyAlley, Dimac.31 and jloh217 for your reviews! You guys make my day! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Have a great week! Can't wait for the new episode tonight!

CitrineMama