A/N: Be forewarned this chapter bounces a LOT! I'm sorry but I needed to get in all the little connections between the characters. We don't see a lot of cross pairings and I want to change that a little. I mean you can't travel all over the USA with a person and never talk to them. So off you go my dears read and review... you know I live for your thoughts.
Chapter Two
"I don't like this." Dean said as he and Autumn walked out to the shooting range to sweet talk Jen into watching John while they went on a hunt.
"I didn't ask." Autumn smiled sweetly at him. For a moment he thought about just dropping the subject, things were good between the two of them and he didn't want to mess with that, but his brother took priority over the thoughts of his downstairs brain.
"We don't split up. That's just about our only rule." he reminded her.
"Dean, they want a little independence and freedom, give it to them." she brushed her ring finger over his hand, "On a long leash."
"How does that work?" he asked ignoring the tingle from her touch. She knew what she did to him and used it.
"Easy. We'll be in the same city, hunting the same thing, and we have their cell numbers." she shrugged. "We know them better than anyone else in the universe, there's no possible way they can do anything without our knowing it. They'll be fine." Autumn moved closer for a beat, to anyone else it would have looked like she was side stepping something, Dean knew it was more of a tease. "Besides, you want to be alone right?"
"Do I ever." he grinned. Her confidence in their younger siblings choices rubbing off on him as much as the need to be with her. "So Jen is a pet sitter?"
"Nah, John-dog is special." Autumn didn't take the time to explain what this meant before pulling open the door the building that was little more than a shack. Jen sat a sawed off shot gun resting over her armrests and a cigar sticking out of her mouth.
"Come on Baby you can shoot better than that." she said teasingly to the man in the booth in front of her.
"If I could do better than that don't you think I would?" came the strained reply. "Damned eye's giving me all sorts of shit anymore."
"Yea, bitch hon. You only got a bum eye, I can't walk and I piss in a bag." Dean looked at Autumn wondering what had happened to the sweet native he'd known thus far.
"Hey Chief." Autumn said coming up next to the retired hunter. Jen Raining wasn't more than a year older than Autumn and Dean but she'd been raised from day one with hunting, she'd literally been born on a hunt.
"Hey, Autty-Autty." Jen greeted but her eyes lit up when they landed on Dean. "Howdy Handsome." she turned her chair towards them "Keep trying Cyclops and you'll be back in the game in no time. Don't let some ghostie take away your life." she called to the man in the booth.
"We need a tiny favor." Autumn cut straight to the chase.
"You're kin, whatever I got you can have." Jen said a smirk creepy across her lips. "Too bad that doesn't go both ways." Her eyes were still locked on Dean and Autumn stepped between the two possessively.
"You need anything you just give me a shout out and you know it." Autumn said leaning back into Dean.
"Right. Whacha needin'?" Jen returned to the topic at hand.
"A million dollars." Dean quipped.
"If I had it, it'd be yours." Jen told him. "Winchester men are rare and worth more than their weight in silver."
"Silver?" Dean raised a brow at the broken woman.
"When was the last time you heard of killing something with a golden bullet? Gold useless to our kind." Jen explained. "What was the real favor?"
"We need you to watch John." Autumn broke in.
"Mkay. Where you headed?" Jen agreed.
"Vegas, tired of hearing about this gig." Autumn said sounding bored.
"Alright, make sure to pump the guys at the bar for info on your way out and be careful." Jen said dismissing them.
"She's bluffing right?" Sam asked watching Athena pack.
"I don't know. I doubt it." Athena answered jumping into her bed to sit pretzel legged and fold jeans.
"She ever do this before?"
"Has Dean?" Athena countered and Sam realized he'd hit a sore spot.
"A few times, usually after a big fight and we're both being very stupid and very stubborn." he admitted.
"She's only ever left me for college." Athena said making a sour face. "Home life wasn't pleasant when she was around, can you imagine what it was like when she left me?"
"Why'd you put up with their shit?" he asked thinking back to the way the girls' adopted family treated them.
"Because Autumn did. She took it all in stride like it was perfectly normal." Athena shrugged. "Life's a bitch and then you die."
"Great motto for a kid." Sam said stretching out on Autumn's bed. The two beds have once been stacked on top of each other but someone had done a half assed job of detaching them.
"Would if have done me any good to complain? Autumn made sure they didn't bug me too much and took the brute force herself. I had no right to ever say anything." Athena said closing the subject. "So you think leaving them is safe?" Sam smirked.
"I think Autumn can take care of herself."
"Oh, it's not her I'm worried about." Athena said throwing a balled up pair of socks at him.
"Like Dean can't take her." Sam scoffed.
"You can't hit a girl." Athena said sounding every bit like a seven year old on the playground.
"Can so. Just can't get caught."
"And if you do plead insanity." Athena grinned catching the socks when they flew back through the air.
"What are we going to do?" he asked his mind shifting to the hunt.
"I got some info from my buddies at the bar and I know what hotel and some minor details on the case. Plus I plugged it into your computer earlier, the search is bookmarked." Sam stared at her.
"How'd you know the password?"
"I didn't. But it's not that hard to figure out. Personal computers don't have that great of security software unless the owner is really high-tech and has money to burn."
"You've actually studied something?" Sam gawked. Athena hadn't shown much interest in any of the research, she and Dean usually left that sort of stuff to him and Autumn.
"Got to pass the time somehow." Athena shrugged. "That and I used to baby sit through high school. When the TV's got V-chipped and started getting all parental I had to figure out how to break the locks to watch programming not suitable for children." He didn't point out that this sort of thing didn't become widespread until recent years and let Athena go on with her lie.
"Okay, so you've started the research, and packing. Autumn and Dean are getting rid of the mutt"
"He's full blooded." she cut him off.
"Whatever. Sounds like all that's left is to decide who gets what car." Athena laughed and he understood why. Dean's car was his baby, no one touched it with out consent. Autumn had worked her ass off through high school to buy the Mustang and, the way Athena told it, spent her last summer before college fixing it up to drivable condition. There wasn't much hope either of them was going to relinquish their keys. It was a half hour before Autumn and Dean crashed through the door. Dean had hold of Autumn around her waist and she was laughing. The older Winchester missed the step up into the house and fell landing hard on the woman in his arms.
"What the hell are you doing?" Athena asked coming out of her bedroom hands on her hips. Sam was behind her snickering at the pair on the floor.
"I told him he couldn't catch me." Autumn said squirming as Dean moved to straddle her.
"Say it." he demanded. Autumn shook her head.
"Never!" she cried pressing her lips tightly together. Dean poked her in the ribs and she twisted trying to escape his grasp.
"Come on, I'll help you. 'Dean Winchesters is the greatest, most attractive,' Come on Autty!" Athena was laughing too now. "This isn't so hard. You know the words!" he pleaded poking her with every word.
"Dean Winchester is the biggest ass I've ever met." Autumn grinned. Dean glared at her.
"You have no room to be joking little missy." Then the tickling commenced. Autumn laughed and tried to push Dean away but he was just plain larger than she was, not to mentioned more experienced. Somehow she got a hold of her sister dragging Athena down into the tickle fight. Sam pretended to be the only grown up in the room right up until Autumn wormed herself free of his brother and jumped on poor Sammy's back.
"You should help." she grinned whispering in his ear. Her hands wandered straight to the unguarded area just below is arm pits as he tried to pull her off. It wasn't long before his knees buckled and all four of them were in a heap on the ground laughing.
"This is so unfair!" Athena protested pushing Dean up and digging her feet into the floor boards forcing herself backward.
"Life's unfair, Blondie." Autumn called to her sister.
"Would you just shut it and help a sister here?" Autumn released Sam from his headlock and tugged her sister away from Dean. "Good girl!" Athena praised. "You can have a cookie, now." Sam offered the younger girl a hand up which she greatly excepted.
"You're a bitch." Autumn said sticking her tongue out.
"At least I get paid." Athena teased.
"Wow, this sounds so familiar." Sam said in mock marvel.
"Jerk." Dean laughed ruffling his brother's hair on the way into their shared room. Autumn, noticed he'd left and smacked her sister upside the head with a discarded t-shirt Athena had been folding when the older pair had fell into the cabin.
"Gotta get packed, baby." Autumn tweaked her sister's nose before disappearing into her room.
It took the better part of an hour to get their things sorted out and packed. Somehow everyone's stuff had merged in their travels. Then came the ever important conversation about cars. Sam braved the front to ask the feared question.
"What are we driving?" Autumn tossed Dean a look waiting for him to offer the Impala.
"Don't give me that look, woman." he said shaking his head. "I'm not releasing them in sin city with my girl." Autumn huffed and dug in her pocket for the keys to her car.
"She's not getting any special gas or anything, and I just checked her fluids." she started mumbling holding the keys just above Sam's open hand. "Now, Scarlet is a very important part of team Daemon. You do her wrong and I'll know about it." she looked Athena in the eyes before locking eyes with Sam. "Anything happens it her and you're responsible."
"You named you're car?" Sam asked. "You're such a dude."
"Thanks, you're such a girl." Autumn dropped the keys and Sam pocketed them before she could change her mind.
Next came the weapons exchange. Then loading of duffle bags and quick goodbyes. Promises of phone calls that night or if anything came up before hand. Autumn hugged her sister and Sam saw the hesitation before the women released each other. To make up for it though, Autumn slugged her sister.
"You mind yourself, okay?" Athena stuck her tongue out.
"I'll be fine. Don't be a mother hen."
"Sammy, you keep your hands off." Dean winked at his brother. "I'm just way to damn good looking to be some little brats uncle."
"I'm sure Kendra, Kayla, and Kelly love the sentiment." Athena teased.
"Aw they're not brats." Dean said patting the hood of the cherry red mustang.
"Auto abuse." Sam grinned climbing into the front seat.
"Get your asses on the road." Autumn called stepping back away from the car as Sam started the engine. Athena bounced in her seat excited at the prospect of a new hunt.