Chapter Sixteen

Pardon Me?

Cal had a lot to think about on her way back to the motel; too much. She sent the coffee along with Malcolm back to the hotel so she could go for a drive and think it over. He'd taken the hell of a risk bringing her in on his plan and telling her the truth of what was really going on behind the scenes. A lot of it hinged on her ability to keep her mouth shut and not tell Sam and Dean what her part in it was going to have to be. Could she do it? Certainly. Did she want to? That was the tricky one: she wasn't sure.

It took hours before she gave up trying to figure herself out and turned the car back toward the Winchesters. In the end her decision was to just wait it out. There was no harm in keeping the conversation with Malcolm to herself until she'd had a chance to work out her own emotions, right? Sure, because everything always worked out great that way. For now, this was the only option she could see.

"Where'd you go for coffee, Cal? The moon?" Dean, gotta love that pain in her ass. She wouldn't miss that much when it was gone again. "Yeah. There's a great little mom and pop place run by a couple of Martians that makes a mean café mocha. I figured after dealing with your crusty, drunk behind all of last night it was worth the trip." If he was going to break out the attitude, she was going to give him her best right back.

"Alright you two, that's enough." This death glare brought to you by a very dark, very annoyed Sam. He wasn't going to put up with their crap like he used to and Cal couldn't find it in her to blame him for it. An eye roll later she was ready to get to business. "So, what's the word?" Malcolm should have been there already. She'd anticipated the 'pitching it to the Winchesters' part of his plan to take longer. It had been one of the reasons she'd taken so long. "Malcolm, or John or whatever his name is popped in just long enough to drop off some coffee and went off to sleep. He's two doors over." Wow, Sam was really upset. What the heck had happened while she'd been out?

"So, is somebody going to fill me in on whatever this is? Something's happened to get you in a mood, Sam. Considering you're the level headed one of the three of us, I'm inclined to take notice when you start to sound like your brother. What's up?" Easier to keep her secret if she got the guys talking about their own problems. "Nothing happened. I guess I just… would've been nice if Malcolm had stuck around long enough to give us some good news. You know?" Ah, yes. Sam was eager to get moving on the 'get Dean out of jail free' card. That would explain Dean's attitude too. "Well, that and you took so long getting back we were getting pretty sure you'd decided not to." Actually, that didn't surprise her so much. She'd half expected a long distance call from Fran sometime during her drive around town. It was her m.o. after all. Then again, that didn't mean a girl had to like being called on it. "Nice Dean. I'd like to think that after spending all this time together, running around after your sorry self, Sam knows better. You took that job over for me, remember?" Okay, maybe she wasn't done hitting below the belt yet. It was fair. Dean wasn't exactly above pulling punches and a girl had to hold her ground. "Tell you what, girls. You two sit around and wring your hands a little longer, I'll go over and wake the sleeping Cowboy Highlander. I'd just as soon be on the road by nightfall if it's all the same." Not a word passed in her wake as she strutted right back out the door.


Malcolm had a much different greeting for her when she rapped at his door. He opened up to her wearing nothing but a set of long underwear bottoms. They were a classic bright red with old fashioned wood buttons, not that Cal had noticed or anything. Well, okay, maybe she noticed a little. Like holey moley the guy was built like, well, like a warrior. Fitting she supposed given the era he'd been born to but still a bit of a shock to the system. A pleasant one. "It's the damnedest thing but I can totally picture you bare-chested in nothing but a kilt and sporran, racing across the hills into battle like in that Braveheart movie." The guy's chuckle was rich and deep enough to give her chills. Lord help her but she was suddenly craving chocolate for some odd reason.

"Would you like to see it, then? Won't take a minute to dig it out of my bag." God, it was nice to share a little banter. He owned a kilt did he? She smiled easily, taking a moment to just enjoy the feeling before answering. "Nah, I'll pass." Though it was an interesting concept; he sure was easy on the eyes. "Listen, the guys are chomping at the bit to find out what you've got for Dean. I thought you were going to get started right away." He raised a brow at the slightly accusatory tone, but shifted aside just the same and waved her in. "I didn't want to rush into anything until you came back. I just dumped a whole lot of responsibility on your shoulders and I didn't think it would hurt to give you a minute to think it over before making your choice." In other words, he didn't want to start in on the lie if she was just going to out him on it. Smart man; so smart he probably had some kind of backup plan.

"For the record?" She was suddenly very curious what that plan might be. "Let's say I tell them everything and refuse to take your offer. What then?" Would he still help the Winchesters if she didn't hold up to her end of things?. He wasn't giving off a dangerous vibe but that didn't mean he wasn't. "I'm not a monster Caitlin." Something in her expression must have given her away. "I'd still help the Winchesters. If you didn't come willingly I'd just have to knock you over the head and drag you off in the middle of the night afterward. Come hell or high water, you've got a part to play in the bigger picture and it'll be infinitely better for you if I'm next to you when that happens." Damn. Well, he'd promised her honesty. Good to know he was following through. "Was that meant to be comforting? Because somehow it falls a little short." He was unknowingly giving her a prime view of his assets while he pulled on a pair of faded, worn Levi's and she wasn't above enjoying the view. "Would you have preferred if I'd just skipped telling you and gone with plan B?" Okay, so maybe Winchester wasn't the only caveman out there. Clubbing a girl over the head and dragging her off in the middle of the night definitely qualified. "No, I guess not. How are you planning to approach the whole identity thing with the guys? Finding out third hand from Ellen's resident kid genius didn't exactly inspire trust. Plus there's the matter of your age. I've gotta say, you look pretty good for six hundred some odd years. You've got to know that the Winchesters are going to want to be sure you're not something they'll need to hunt." She was ready to take his lead for now. There was history between them and for all intents and purposes he owed her but he had the plan so it was better to play along until she knew more.

"I'm the one who gave Ash the okay to tell them everything. I figured you all would be more receptive about giving me a chance to explain if you had a chance to think about it first." Not just a handsome face, that one. "So you're going to tell them everything?" Well that was a relief. "Not everything, but just about. I don't want them getting involved with the people I'm dealing with. I owe their father to do better by them than that." His words made her feel less important somehow, like Malcolm thought Sam and Dean were worth protecting and somehow she wasn't. When her face fell he touched a hand to her cheek, tracing the outline of it with his fingertips. "Don't look at me like that, Catie." He spoke gently, soothingly. "This is your family's drama we're dealing with and I don't want you involved either, but there isn't much choice. You think your Dad would've wanted me to take care of it without getting you involved?" Okay. So maybe he had a point. If there was anything Jacob had taught her growing up it was that you cleaned up your messes. She hadn't actually made this mess, but her family had and so it came out to the same. "Point made. I don't think I'd have let you get away with cutting me out of the solution either. Just so you know, I'm going to play dumb with Sam and Dean. We never talked. Everything you tell them'll be as new for me as it is for them and when it's all said and done you and me will leave to deal with the rest." Without cluing Sam and Dean in, of course.

If it hadn't been for the memory of that night a little over two decades earlier, Cal would've been a much tougher sell. Letting Malcolm take the lead would have been completely out of the question. As it was, she would be taking the wheel as soon as Sam and Dean were in the rearview mirror. In the meantime, she was going to have a little fun. Time enough to get serious when the crap hit the fan later. "Hey, uh, could you do me a favor? Don't bother buttoning up the shirt, okay? I owe Dean and I think it's time to cash in." Well what? Eye candy was eye candy and if a girl had the opportunity to get a great view while annoying a certain Winchester, then she'd be crazy to pass it up. "Woman, you are dangerous." And yet, Malcolm went ahead and did as she asked. She was treated to the flex of his wide, muscled shoulders as she followed him out to the lot. This guy was going to be fun to have around.


"I don't like it." Nobody thought Dean would. No surprise that he'd be so vocal about it. "There's too much that could go wrong." The overprotective bum had all kinds of objections, to be sure. Still, it was the only way this was going to happen. There were no other options anymore, not now that Cal's history had found its way into the mix. Of course, he couldn't know that. In that context his objections were perfectly viable. "I've gotta say, I'm with Dean on this one." Sam had thrown in with his brother but in his case it was more from the logistical side of things. "You're not just talking about convincing a governor to grant Dean a pardon. We've got to convince him he's got an angry ghost in his house, then save him from it in a way that makes him so thankful he offers it up." Nice of him to leave out the part where there there might not actually be a ghost so they'll have to fake one. Cal, playing the part of hearing this for the first time, felt like she ought to weigh in as she normally would. With a fair amount of criticism. "Let's not forget the part where we might have to fake the whole thing. I'm not loving this plan, personally." Malcolm raised a brow at her in warning, hard to say if it was an act for Sam an Dean or if he meant it. Cal stuck her tongue out at him rebelliously. If he didn't like having someone poke at the holes in a plan as breezy as swiss cheese then he should have plugged some of them up before proposing it. "Easy on the sarcasm there, lady. Nobody said this was going to be cakewalk. Of course, if you don't think you're up to it I could always go ahead and see about doing it myself. Bringing you kids in on this is more of a courtesy anyway."

Oh no, he didn't! "Hey! Nobody said we weren't up to it." Dean hackles were raised and he was ready to prove himself. Perfect! Malcolm was playing the guy's ego like it was a fine tuned instrument and he was a concert musician. The possessive side of Cal was getting more than a little annoyed. She was the only one allowed to mess with Winchester like that, right? Only that wasn't the case anymore. "What I said was that I don't like your plan because of all the holes. Now, the way I see it, we need pick a governor and then scope out their place so we can find out what we're dealing with." Cal smiled that evil smile of hers, the thought of hunting something improving her mood instantly. She was definitely in need of a job. In the spirit of the feeling she weighed in with a very good (if leading) question. "Alright, which governor are we 'saving' here? I wouldn't mind parking the Mustang up at Bobby's or storing her up at my mechanic's place in New York." She'd even consider Harvelle's if it was on the way.

"I've got three choices lined up for you guys. Louisiana's a pretty fair bet. There's always something going on down there so chances are we'll actually come up with something real. The governor's not much of a believer, though he is into the voodoo stuff that's popular in that area. He's not very good at it but it does give us room to play at convincing him." That got a grunt from Dean and a snarky "Not my first choice" from Cal. Voodoo was messy business any way you looked at it and her experiences with it had been touch and go at best. "Yeah, mine either." Malcolm agreed, a world of meaning in his tone. Okay, so number one wasn't really an option after all.

"Number two would be New Hampshire. Not much of a skeptic, that one. He visits a psychic regularly to get advice on everything from campaigning to his marriage. His own mother calls him a 'tree hugging hippy'. Dude's a big believer in corporal punishment, though, so the stakes are higher if things go south." Sam was on his feet at the second the words 'corporal punishment' pushed past Malcolm's lips, already defensive as if ready to physically fight this one off. "No. Nuh-unh. No way are we poking at a guy that could stick Dean with a death sentence. Scratch that one off right now. We're not doing it." Okay then, so that was option two vetoed. Cal was hoping Malcolm was saving the best for last because things were looking pretty grim for the plan right then.

"That leaves Washington." Malcolm continued as if Sam hadn't just freaked out. "I like this one, actually. Looked it up myself. The governor's a pretty easy going lady and she scares easy, which works for us. Open minded, too, which is also a plus. I had a buddy of mine check out her place in Olympia earlier today and it looks like there might actually be something up our alley to work with." Okay, good news all around. Knowing what she knew, though, Cal saw this last one for what it was: a set up. Malcolm had wanted the Washington governor all along. He just sort of walked Sam and Dean through to where he wanted them to end up. Honestly, she was surprised they fell for it.

"We know this buddy of yours?" Dean was naturally suspicious, but no more than usual. "What exactly does 'right up our alley' mean?" Sam was after the details. Fair enough. Malcolm would've answered but Cal piped in with a slightly different question of her own. "Washington's north of us. Parking my Mustang at my mechanics, at Bobby's or even Harvelle's would take us on one hell of a detour." Three cars would only call more attention to their little group, but there was also the small matter of the quick getaway when the time came to leave with Malcolm. Moving about would be faster and more stealthy if she was seat hopping from the Impala to Malcolm's truck.

"Probably not." Malcolm answered Dean. "Ghost of some sort, hard to say if it's a omen or just a displaced spirit getting ready to scare the crap out of people." To Sam, and finally he answered Cal giving her more attention than both brothers combined. "I've got a guy in Nevada, owes me a favor. Runs an impound lot and a storage facility. It'll be safe there. You can ride with me from there on out." Sam and Dean were suddenly very interested in what her reaction would be, she'd just been told after all. Cal wasn't great at taking orders. For her part she was having a hard time telling if Malcolm was making her decisions for her to get Dean's goat or if he was serious. Either way Cal wasn't all that sure how she felt about being told what to do.

"I…" That there was any sort of hesitation on her part was a surprise to them all. Unfortunately it was all the invitation Dean needed to put his two cents in. "Whoa there, dude. I don't know how familiar you are with our girl here but no one just tells Cal what to do. Not without losing a body part or something." Regardless of the fact that Dean was so obviously trying to stick up for her, his warning became her deciding factor. "Sure." She agreed, eyeing Malcolm up long and slow to get a rise out of Dean. "It's been awhile since I've seen Nevada in any way other than just driving through. It's up to you boys if you want to follow us. Maybe I can decide who I'll ride with the rest of the way when we get there." Sam didn't look surprised. In fact, if she didn't know any better she'd have said he was relieved not to have to referee for a while.

Dean was just standing there looking like he'd been punched in the gut, but Cal couldn't worry about him now. That was Sam's job. She'd have to remind herself of that now that they were all together. There were bigger things at play here than a few unresolved emotions for a man she wasn't even sure she liked at the moment. Especially not when she wasn't all that sure if she liked herself.
"Yeah, about that. What are we calling you now? Cat's out of the bag, we know John's not your real name and we still don't know anything about this Malcolm identity of yours. We're going to need some details in case we need to hunt you down later, if Cal goes missing on the way up to Washington." Already having had enough, Cal stalked back out to the car. Let the guys work that bit out for themselves. Malcolm had already walked her through the Coles Notes version of his past earlier in the Dunkin Donuts parking lot. She had to get her Mustang ready to be parked indefinitely, after all. That meant packing up whatever was in there that she'd normally just leave lying around in the backseat or the trunk.

All of her clothes, spare identification, passport, various knives and weaponry; those all went in her duffel bag with her wallet. If some of the stuff she'd borrowed off of Sam made it in there too, she didn't think much of it. Wouldn't be the first time she took off with some guy's clothes and it probably wouldn't be the last either. In the other bag went the two pillows she'd taken to stashing away in the trunk, just in case, and the blankets too. Her first aid kit fit nicely in there once she smushed the pillows down to a manageable size. Her mind whirred away incessantly as she packed and organized. Miscellaneous empty Walmart and Target bags were collected from under the seats, filled with equally empty take out containers and chocolate wrappers. There's too much going on. Got to think this all through before things get out of control. She had the nagging feeling that things were already completely out of her control and that scared her beyond words. She was finding it way too easy to trust Malcolm when she knew so little about him. A few compliments from her Dad over the years and a couple of dark memories of that hunt when she'd been eight should not have been enough for her to follow him blindly into the dark. Yet, here she was, doing just that.

Then there's Winchester. Yeah, him. What was she going to do about Dean? If it was unnaturally easy to trust Malcolm, it was downright scary how quickly she and Dean had fallen into old habits. The bickering banter wasn't as much of a pain in the ass as she was making it out to be. If she was going to be honest with herself, it was the feelings that they dredged up again that she was having a hard time dealing with. As much as Cal would have liked to have left Dean in her past, her heart had apparently decided otherwise. Better to take her time and distract herself, making sure everything was in working order in her emergency roadside kid. Her half empty case of disposable water bottles was cut down to size. The cooler was emptied of melted ice, no longer necessary since she and Sam had finished the perishables days earlier. Take out was faster and easier anyway.

Dean kept checking up on her through the motel room window. He was trying not to look like he was, but subtle had never really been his thing. He looked worried and that led her to worry too. Had she managed to pull off convincing them nothing was wrong? Maybe Dean was just being protective because he wasn't sure what to expect from her after the hard time he'd given her the night before. Should she have picked a fight with him? No. Then Sam would have been worried. She'd been so careful lately.

Girl, you need some space. It was becoming increasingly clear that Cal needed some time alone with her thoughts, without the male audience. Minutes after Malcolm found his way back to his room Cal went knocking. "Open up, cowboy!" Who would have thought a six hundred year old man would have any kind of need for locks? Maybe he'd been looking to challenge her? "Thirty seconds, Malcolm Mackenzie. Thirty seconds and I'm picking the lock, regardless of what you are or are not wearing." It wasn't a warning so much as a promise. She was already working the tumblers when the doorknob started to turn seconds later. He must've just thrown himself down on the bed because he was all mussed hair and bleary eyes. "You have something against letting a guy get some shut eye?" He was not amused, in fact he looked genuinely offended. Well that was just too bad. Her sanity was more important than his beauty sleep. "I need the address for your guy in Nevada. I'm gonna take off early and meet you guys there. Also I need you not to mention it to Sam and Dean until the morning when they realize I'm gone." She wasn't going to explain herself. He was just going to have to do what she told him to.

"Yeah, no problem." Well didn't Malcolm just fall in line for her as if he'd been expecting as much, placing a piece of paper in her hand with a name and address already on it. "Now would you bugger off and let me get some sleep?" Wow, and he was cranky. Well alright, she supposed he was entitled. She'd have been in a worse mood in his shoes. All in all, that went better than expected.


Back in the Winchester's room, things were a little less quiet.

"What do we know about this guy Sam? Nothing. That's what. Oh, wait, no. We do know what he'd told us, which is basically that he's been around for freaking ever. Oh, and let's not forget the part about the faster than average healing which makes him next to impossible to kill. That one's my favorite." Out of the frying pan of her own thoughts and into the fire of Dean's fears. Fantastic. This was exactly why she needed a few minutes to breathe. Clearly 'the talk' about Malcolm's past had not gone as well as the old man had hoped. Well that accounted for the attitude he'd had when he'd answered the door.

"So we'll be careful."Ever the reasonable one. Couldn't Dean see that Sam just needed to at least look into their first viable lead toward a pardon they'd found in months? "I've had a year to let the options play out and we don't have a whole lot of them left. This is it, and the way I see it there isn't any harm in looking into this governor in Washington. It's basically just another hunt, the difference is we'll be asking for a sort of payment for once." Wow, put it that way and it sounded like a walk in the park. Reasonable even. From Dean's sour puss expression it was pretty clear he wasn't having any of it. Instead of arguing his side, though, he went looking to Cal for some backup. A little soon for that, isn't it buddy? It would take more than that to stop Dean.

"What about you, Cal? I thought for sure if anyone was going to be against this, it would be you." Ooh, not a great move, Dean, confronting a girl while she's packing up her stuff. Time to put a dude in his place. "I'm here for Sam." She couldn't make it any simpler or any clearer for the guy. Blinking wide, he rubbed at his cheek as if she'd slapped him. Sam watched her carefully, not saying much as she brushed her hair out and braided it. He didn't say anything, but he was keeping tabs. His brother just kept pushing. "You don't think there's anything off about this guy? Like he knows something we don't?" Dean could almost taste the deception and she could tell it was killing him, not being able to figure out what it was when it was right in front of him. "Do yourself a favor and look around Dean. By your definition of 'off' we all qualify as untrustworthy." She didn't want to look at those hazel eyes full of betrayal and concern so she busied herself elsewhere instead. "Sam's got a point. Regardless of what's going on with this Malcolm guy, he's come up with a pretty good plan. Sure, there are holes, but it's still better than anything Sam's been able to come up with and that's saying a lot." Her hairdryer and hairbrush joined the shampoo and soap in her duffel bag. The only things left now were the toothbrush and the paperback she'd left on the table by Sam's laptop.

"Guys, I'm exhausted. Sleeping in the car isn't as fun or comfortable as it used to be. I really just want to get a little sleep in a real bed. Can't we finish this later?" Afraid to give herself away, she avoided looking at Sam and leveled her tired look at Dean instead. Maybe he'd be distracted enough not to have noticed that she was getting ready for a quick getaway. His sympathy was unexpected, but she soaked it up anyway. It felt nice and she would be gone soon anyway. All the more reason to indulge, right? "Yeah, okay. Go ahead, it'll keep." Dean did not just concede in the middle of an argument, did he? She didn't know what to say when he went that extra step and turned down the blankets on the bed he hadn't already messed up for her. "We can clear out for a bit, if you want. Give you some time?" Deep breath, Cal. It'll be okay. A quick eye roll to stop any proof that she might be going soft on the caveman again and she dove under the covers, fully clothed with a 'don't bother on my account'.

Minutes later she was asleep and Sam was nodding toward the bathroom where he and Dean could talk without waking her up. "You saw what she was doing right?" Sam asked his brother. "Yeah. She's getting ready to take off." Grim acceptance from Dean because, let's face it, he deserved as much. "Any idea where she's planning to go?" If anyone would know at this point, it would be Sam. "I'm hoping she's just looking for a head start to Nevada to get some time alone, but it's hard to say. She's been hard to read since we started following you around." No big surprise there. "Alright, what are we doing? Do we let her go or do we make it impossible for her to sneak off when we're not looking?" Dean's laugh was harsh, no trace of illusion there. "Sam, you know as well as I do that if that woman wants to leave there isn't a damn thing we can do to stop her." No, stopping her wasn't an option, but maybe helping her was. Dean had just frittered away the last year going from place to place with his head up his ass p the putting the people he cared about through hell. If he played his cards right, maybe he could start making it up to at least one of them.

Placing the keys to the Impala in Sam's hand he nodded toward the door. "You go warm her up. We're going on a coffee run. I'll be right out." Hopefully Cal would still be there when they got back. If not, then at least he'd know the gift he was leaving her would be there in her duffel bag if she needed it.