A/N: Thank you guest Loreley for your review! Yeah, the Stynes definitely don't know who they're messing with, but then, they don't back down easy, either. I'm looking forward to what everyone thinks about where this goes! ^_^

Chapter 3

Sam was tense in the passenger seat as Dean guided the Impala down the back road to Bobby's cabin. They hadn't heard from Cas and Ryn, and had no idea if the two had found the place, or Charlie. Cas hadn't responded to their texts, and Sam didn't know if Ryn even had a phone. Charlie, of course, was off the grid.

But then as the tree line up ahead parted and Cas's Continental came into view, Sam finally let out a breath of relief.

And then he saw the plumes of dark smoke.

Dean pressed the brake hard and threw the car into park, and then he and Sam were scrambling out of the vehicle. On the other side of Cas's car, Ryn was standing in front of a blazing bonfire, her katana slung down her back and wayward strands of hair fluttering free from her otherwise tight plait. It made her look like some kind of ninja assassin. One with a slightly glowing aura contouring her frame as she focused intently on the flames. With a second glance, Sam spotted two charred bodies being devoured by them.

"What the hell happened?" he exclaimed as Ryn turned toward them. Her mouth was pressed into a grim line.

"Trouble," she replied.

Before either of them could ask what the hell that meant, Cas's voice called out from the cabin.

"Sam, Dean." Cas strode out, followed by Charlie. Sam's pulse jumped slightly, and he gave her a critical once-over, but she looked fine. Cas had probably healed her gun shot wound.

"Hey, bitches," she greeted weakly.

Dean immediately stepped forward and pulled her into a hug. "Hey, kiddo. You okay?"

Charlie squeezed back. "Yeah, I'm good. Cas and Ryn here showed up just in time." She drew back and flashed them both a smile. "Thanks for that, by the way."

Sam flicked a look back at the burning bodies. "Were these the guys after you?"

"Two of them," Charlie answered. "One got away."

"There will be more," Ryn said. Rather ominously, in Sam's opinion.

He frowned at her. "Who are they?"

"The Stynes. Nasty pieces of work." She narrowed her eyes on the bonfire, and slowly waved her hand. The flames flared with a tinge of blue for a split instant. There was a pop, and then they began to recede until they snuffed out like candles. There was nothing left of the bodies but charcoal and bone dust on a patch of scorched grass.

"These men were…" Cas cut off and shook his head in apparent frustration. "They were strong. Supernaturally so."

Sam exchanged a look with Dean. That didn't sound good.

"I guess they used the Book to, like, power themselves up or something?" Charlie suggested. "And that's why they want it back."

"Unfortunately, no," Ryn countered. "The Book gave them power, but it's not what they draw their enhanced abilities from."

Dean quirked a brow at her. "You know about them?"

Ryn nodded. "They're one of Europe's oldest families—the house of Frankenstein."

Sam's brows shot upward dubiously. "Excuse me?"

Dean scoffed. "Frankensteins aren't real. They're made up."

"No, they're real," Ryn said. "Mary Shelley spent a few nights at castle Frankenstein and stumbled upon their secrets. They went underground and changed their name after that."

"Why didn't Shelley go public?" Dean asked.

Ryn cast him a perplexed look. "She wrote a book. Doesn't get more public than that."

Dean cocked his head and shrugged. "Okay, I guess."

Sam snorted. "You haven't even read the book."

"I have…" Dean raised a finger in objection, but then quickly shook his head. "Seen the movie."

"The House of Frankenstein doesn't count," he rejoined. "It's not even based on the book."

"The only book we need to be concerned about right now is the Book of the Damned," Cas interrupted tetchily. "It is pure evil."

"The one guy didn't get away with it, did he?" Dean asked in alarm.

"No, we still have it," Charlie assured him, and patted the knapsack draped across her shoulder. "But the lead douchenozzle said that if we tried to destroy it, some horrible evil would be unleashed."

Once again, Sam's brows rose sharply. "Is that true?" he asked Cas.

The angel's mouth tightened, and he gave a reluctant head shake. "I don't know."

"Okay." Sam nodded thoughtfully. Now that he was caught up, he could begin to start forming a plan. "So we have to keep it away from the Stynes—Frankensteins, until we can figure out whether it can be destroyed or not."

"Except I think they're able to track it somehow," Cas added.

Charlie nodded in vigorous agreement. "Explains how they kept on my tail this whole time."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Of course they can. Well, I got that covered at least." He turned and made his way back to the Impala where he opened the trunk and pulled out a chunky metal box.

"Found this in the storage room," he said as he carried it over and set it down. "It's lead-lined and warded. If those guys are tracking this book, pretty sure this bad boy will take it off the radar."

Charlie hastily flipped open the flap of her bag and pulled out a leather-bound book that looked more like pieces of raw hide sewn together. The scritches of ink Sam caught sight of were red, too. A rusty shade that was actually kind of familiar for hunters… He suppressed a shudder.

Charlie set the Book inside the box, and Dean closed the lid and latched it. She let out a breath of relief, then gave them all a tired smile. "Thanks for coming, guys."

"Of course," Sam said. "Hey, we even have snacks in the car."

Dean hefted the heavy box off the ground, but looked at Cas and Ryn. "Yeah, thank you."

"Of course," Cas said, echoing Sam's words.

Dean cleared his throat. "You uh, on your way somewhere, or…?"

Cas flicked an uncertain look at Ryn. "Well, um…"

"We'll follow you back to your bunker," Ryn put in. "Until that thing is locked behind its warding, we shouldn't take any chances."

Sam quirked an intrigued brow at her. "Have you tangled with the Stynes before?"

Ryn shook her head. "Not up close, but I've almost been caught up in their destruction a few times. So believe me when I say I don't want them getting their hands on that Book again."

He nodded in understanding. "We'll see you back at the bunker, then."

Charlie followed Dean back to the Impala, and Sam sprinted up to the cabin to do a final check of things before locking up and joining them. Dean stashed the box in the trunk again, and then slid behind the wheel to start up the engine.

"You didn't tell me you knew a phoenix!" Charlie accused from the backseat, craning her head to keep Cas's car in view as Dean turned the Impala around.

"Well, um, we kinda only just met Ryn a couple weeks ago," Sam replied.

"She is hot. And I don't just mean because she can burst into fire."

Sam and Dean threw each other bewildered looks, and then glanced back at Charlie at the same time.

"Um," Dean started. "Ryn's kind of with Cas."

Charlie sighed. "I know. I should have asked to ride with them. No offense!"

Sam pinched his lips to keep from laughing. "No, uh, he means Ryn and Cas are together. Like together-together."

"She's his girlfriend," Dean blurted. He shook his head. "And man is that weird to say out loud."

Sam snorted. It was weird, but kind of amusing.

Charlie lurched forward to lean over the bench seat. "What, really?"

Sam nodded, still trying not to laugh. It wasn't that he thought Cas incapable of having a girlfriend. Just…okay, before Ryn, it hadn't crossed Sam's mind at all.

"Oh. That's…" Charlie floundered. "Wow. Okay. I'm totally jealous of him, then."

Sam couldn't hold back a chuckle any longer, and even Dean's lips twitched, which Sam was glad to see. He knew his brother had been struggling with the idea of Cas and Ryn going off together and Cas not being around as much. But from what Sam could tell, this was a good thing for their angel friend. And they were still able to work on cases together, as today proved.

Yeah, things were working out fine.

Ryn's stomach was a knot of coiled tension the entire six-hour drive back to Lebanon, Kansas. The reemergence of the Book of the Damned and mobilizing of the Stynes stirred unpleasant memories of darker times spent in Europe many centuries ago. They were not a hornets' nest one wanted to go poking. She was a trifle irked that this Charlie had doggedly continued searching for that heinous book until she'd dug it up, drawing the Stynes' attention in the process. It would have been better left buried.

But, as Ryn also knew pragmatically, buried things had a way of resurfacing eventually. Better that champions like Castiel and the Winchesters got to the Book first, before the Stynes could. Still, they were potentially inviting a fight that would not be a pretty one…

Once they all arrived back at the bunker and the box containing the Book was carted inside its heavily warded walls, Ryn finally allowed herself to feel a measure of relief. She'd been half expecting an army of Stynes to assault them on the road, but the trip had been uneventful.

"You guys wanna stay for dinner?" Sam asked. "I was gonna go get Chinese."

"Oh yes, you have to stay!" Charlie exclaimed. "Post-victory feast and team bonding."

Ryn flicked a questioning glance at Castiel, only to find him doing the same to her, like he had at the cabin. He had said he'd take her back to Montana to check on her home, but that could wait a bit longer. And he'd spent the past week with her, so of course they should stay and spend time with his friends.

"Sure," Ryn said with a smile.

Sam's expression smoothed with relief. "Great. Uh, do you eat?"

She quirked a brow. "Yes."

"Okay, cool. It's just that Cas doesn't, so I wasn't sure…"

Ryn looked at the angel again.

Castiel shrugged. "Everything tastes like molecules."

"That stinks," Charlie said.

Castiel frowned. "If the food smells bad, you shouldn't eat it anyway. It could be spoiled."

Charlie canted her head and put on a pair of puppy-dog eyes. "Oh, you're as adorable as I imagined."

Ryn shot a hand up to cover her mouth, choking into it as Castiel simply furrowed his brow in confusion.

Sam shook his head and gestured to the Impala. "Yeah, I'll be back."

He headed out, and Ryn followed the others downstairs into the bunker just as Dean emerged from the back corridor.

"Book's all stashed away," he said. "Nothin' left for those Styne douchebags to track."

"I still want to do more research on it," Charlie replied.

Dean nodded. "Sure thing. But tomorrow. Tonight, we drink, eat, and be merry." He waggled his brows at them, earning a grin from Charlie and a flicker of a smile from Castiel.

The humans went back to the kitchen then to grab plates and utensils for when Sam returned with the food. Ryn and Castiel helped them set everything out on the map table in the front room. Dean also brought out a case of beer, and popped open a bottle as he reclined in one of the chairs and kicked his feet up on the table. Charlie asked about potentially upgrading the system, which Dean shot down.

"Nuh-uh. Remember what happened last time?"

"What happened last time?" Castiel asked.

And that led to being regaled with a tale of the Wicked Witch from the land of Oz. Sam came back bearing food, and then conversation shifted to Charlie's time in Oz, which Ryn found fascinating, and Castiel found utterly confusing. It was somewhat amusing to watch him trying to parse out that a work of fiction was based on a real alternate dimension.

"But, flying monkeys…"

Ryn started clearing the table when the food was gone, content to listen to the debate, which at some point, she wasn't sure when, had veered off into hobbits and dwarves. She drifted over to the archway columns connected to the library and leaned against one, stretching out her neck muscles.

Dean had gone back to the kitchen for more beer, and when he reemerged, instead of striding back to the table and heated conversation, he steered her way. He had two beers in hand, and held one out to her.

"Can you even appreciate alcohol, or are you like an angel and it takes an entire liquor store to get you drunk?"

Ryn arched a brow, and flicked a quick glance at Castiel. That sounded like another story she'd want to hear someday. She accepted the beer. "I enjoy a good vodka."

Dean pursed his mouth, seemingly impressed. "Alright, then." He raised his bottle in a half toast, and then knocked back a swig. "I do apologize for the nerd infestation. I keep spraying, and they keep comin' back."

Ryn's lips twitched as the roaring laughter and overlapping voices from the map room wafted over her. Castiel still looked completely lost over the topic, sandwiched between Sam and Charlie as they lobbed exclamations at each other, and yet the way they half turned to Castiel, encouraging a smile, prompting his opinion even if he had no idea what they were talking about, still managed to include him in their camaraderie. And his eyes danced with the warmth of the enfoldment.

"So, uh," Dean spoke up, voice quiet compared to the others. "How'd your trip with Cas go? You two officially an item now?"

She angled a narrowed look at him. He'd tried to sound nonchalant about it, but his posture and avoiding eyes were radiating the opposite. "What did Cas say?"

Dean shrugged one shoulder. "Haven't asked him yet. Though it's not like Cas is chatty Cathy to begin with."

Ryn continued to eye him shrewdly and didn't volunteer anything. It was up to Castiel what he wanted to share…what he wanted to label their relationship.

Dean rolled his neck. "You two are welcome to stay the night, you know. Or longer. Whatever you and Cas want. Unless you were planning to head out again right away…"

Ryn relaxed against the column at her back. So that was it. She looked at Castiel, Sam, and Charlie. She assumed the young red-head would be staying in the bunker as well. And it wasn't that Ryn was opposed to the invitation, it was just that she wasn't used to being around so many people in close living quarters. She'd been on her own for…a very long time.

"I wouldn't want to make you feel overcrowded," she said, though even she knew the half-hearted hedging was just her own projected feelings.

Dean shrugged. "Hey, the more the merrier at this point. And, we, uh, we have the room."

Ryn huffed out a frustrated breath. "I'm not used to…I'm used to being on my own."

Dean took a slow sip of his beer, and then nodded carefully. "Yeah, I get that. Growing up, it was me and Sammy. Sometimes Dad. Sometimes Bobby. But mostly just the two of us. For a long while." His mouth quirked as he watched his brother and friends in their merriment. "But families get bigger sometimes."

He ran a hand over his hair and cleared his throat awkwardly before lifting his gaze to hers. "I guess the question is, can you take the rest of us along with Cas?"

Ryn pressed her lips together. She didn't have anything against them. They were hunters, but they didn't view her as a monster. They were opening up their home to her, in fact, something Ryn had never experienced under the mantle of her own true identity.

Castiel felt like an outsider sometimes, she could see it. Yet he also belonged. Also fit. Into a unit that shouldn't have worked—two hunters and a fallen angel. But they'd made something here, made a home. And Ryn thought it might be something a phoenix might test for herself, if the invitation was genuine.

A glance at Dean's casual yet subtly awkward and restless stance convinced her it was.

"I'd like that," she said softly, afraid he hadn't heard her over the burst of laughter from the others. But then the corner of Dean's mouth curved upward, and he gave a small nod as he took a hearty swig of his beer.

"Hey," Charlie called, bounding toward them. "Game of Thrones marathon. Who's up for it? I haven't had time to catch up since coming back from Oz."

Dean shook off his earlier tension instantly and put on a bright smile. "Oh yeah. I want to see what happens to that dick Joffrey."

Castiel came up behind her with Sam, brow furrowing. "Joffrey Baratheon from A Song of Ice and Fire? I believe he—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Sam exclaimed.

"Dude, no spoilers!" Dean chimed in with equal vehemence. "And you didn't even read the books. Metadouche just downloaded them into your brain. So no peeps out of you unless it's a piece of pop culture you've experienced first hand."

Castiel blinked in bewilderment at the reprimand.

"I've read the books, but haven't seen the show," Ryn spoke up.

Charlie's eyes sparked with excitement. "Then we'll have to start from the beginning!"

"What, why?" Dean interjected. "They both know what happens."

"But they'll be missing the subtleties the show changed," Charlie pressed. "And I thought you wanted to give Cas a proper education in pop culture."

Dean grumbled under his breath. "It's gonna take us days to get through everything from the beginning."

Charlie beamed. "Exactly. We'd better get started."

Sam shot his brother an amused look, and the two Winchesters trailed after her as she apparently went in search of a projector to cart into the library.

Castiel turned to Ryn. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize we were committing to something so intensive."

Ryn shook her head. "I don't mind. Should be fun." She led the way into the library where Sam was setting up Netflix on his laptop.

"Hey, Cas, want to make a bag of popcorn?"

Castiel frowned. "But you just ate."

"Yeah, but you can't watch a movie without popcorn," Charlie called from the hallway as she and Dean reemerged with an actual old-school projector. "That's rule number one."

"There are rules?" Castiel said. "How many?"

Ryn couldn't hold back a smile any longer. Maybe she could get used to this.

A/N: But she won't, because everything will go to hell soon. ;p