TWENTY-ONE

Gradyville, Pennsylvania

January 23rd, 2009

"I'm fine, Dean, really. You don't need to hover," Reggie exclaimed, leaning against the front of the Impala. She waved her hand at him to shoo him away. Although her left arm hung in a sling, Reggie still held the barrel of the gun she was loading gingerly in that hand.

Dean grunted and sat down on the cooler in front of her. "That sling really sells it, you know. You being 'fine'." Reggie rolled her eyes at him and snapped the gun closed. The sound of a branch cracking caught their attention and both of them turned to see Sam come walking out of the woods. "Find anything?" Dean asked.

Sam shook his head. "No, nothing. But this park isn't exactly tiny. There are too many places to look." Sam sighed, stepping up next to Reggie. "So what do we do now?" he asked Dean.

Reggie answered instead. "Well, we have no leads as to what the seal is or how Lilith is going to open it. And any element of surprise you had to mount an attack and take her out is now out of the question thanks to me." She pushed herself away from the car and limped around to the trunk, tossing the gun into the melee of weapons already inside.

"Don't you start that again," Dean growled.

"Dean's right. Don't take the blame, Reggie. We weren't going to leave you to the demons any more than you would have left either one of us," Sam added.

Reggie closed the trunk and shrugged, which made her wince in pain. "That's true, but it doesn't make me feel any better. I'm not used to being the damsel in distress."

"Why does that not surprise me," Dean muttered and Sam snorted. He got up from his seat on the cooler and walked over to where she stood. She smiled weakly at him then turned to stare off into the trees.

"I'm not going to fight with you about this again. Like I said yesterday, it was my choice to be here, to get involved with this fight, and any consequences are my own doing. I'm a hunter and risks are part of the job description, so don't start telling me the fault for any of this is yours," Reggie said. "Last time I checked, demons have never needed a reason to maim and kill." Dean opened his mouth to respond but Reggie quickly put her right hand over it to stop him. "Nope, don't want to hear it." She turned to Sam, who had just opened his mouth to object. "From either of you," she snapped.

Dean took her hand from his mouth and squeezed it. "Okay." He looked over at Sam. "It would have been nice if Ruby could have given us something on this seal."

"You don't need Ruby for that," a voice called. Castiel came striding out of the woods towards them. "The seal is no longer of any importance."

"It isn't?" Sam asked, confused.

"Apparently, your attack on Lilith's headquarters at the bar to rescue Reggie was something she hadn't actually expected. It seems she has abandoned her attempts in the city and has disappeared again."

Dean gaped at the angel. "She's gone? Just like that?"

"It would seem so, yes. After our discussion yesterday, a small battalion of my brothers began assembling to try and stop Lilith from opening the seal. I had just contacted Uriel this morning when there was a sudden change in demon activity in the area."

"What kind of change?" Reggie asked.

"They all left."

"All of them? All the demons just picked up and moved on?" Reggie's voice was incredulous. She saw that Sam and Dean were wearing similar shocked expressions.

"Not all of them, no, but an extremely large number of them have just disappeared. It appears that they were drawn here because of Lilith and now that she's left, they no longer feel the need to be here in such numbers." Castiel crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Dean. "I hope you realize how lucky you are."

"What do you mean?"

"You walked into the belly of the beast on a poorly prepared rescue mission, risking all of humanity for one person, and successfully sent Lilith running without her opening that seal." Castiel looked over at Reggie, his eyes rolling over her as if appraising the woman.

"Then I guess we are," Sam said, stepping in front of Reggie. He didn't like the way Castiel was staring at her. Sam and the angel glared at each other for a moment. Then Castiel nodded at them once and disappeared without another word.

"I really hate that guy," Reggie mumbled. "I never would have thought angels would be such dicks."

Dean laughed and threw his arm over her shoulders. "You know, Sammy actually said the very same thing," Dean said, grinning broadly. "You chicks really do think alike," he chuckled. Sam punched Dean in the shoulder as Reggie snorted with laughter.

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

January 24th, 2009

"He really does drive like a girl," Reggie stated as they heard Sam finally pull up in front of Bobby Singer's house. Dean laughed and placed his beer on Bobby's coffee table. He got up and headed through the house, stepping outside to greet Sam.

"'Bout time, grandma," Dean cried as he opened the front door. Sam was just getting out of Reggie's Plymouth, but he shook his head at his brother's remark. "We beat you here by over two hours."

Sam jogged up the steps, glaring at Dean. "Only because you were doing eighty the whole way," Sam snapped. Dean grinned and followed Sam inside.

"Ninety, actually," Reggie yelled from the living room. Sam shook his head at her as he stepped into the living room. "Hey Sam."

"Ya get lost?" Bobby called from somewhere upstairs. A few moments later, they heard his heavy footsteps on the stairs. He entered the living room a second later carrying a small black box.

"Ha ha. Get it all out," Sam grumbled, flopping down next to Reggie on the worn couch in the center of Bobby's cluttered living room.

"I just thought that after all the times you boys have come here, ya would know the way by now," Bobby said, chuckling as he lowered himself into his usual arm chair. He held the box in his lap but didn't open it.

"What's in the box?" Sam asked, dying for a change in subject. Bobby glanced at Sam and then nodded at Dean who was flipping through a small, black, leather-bound book, oblivious. Sam looked at Reggie, puzzled, and she rolled her eyes at him.

"A present," she mouthed, nodding towards Dean. Sam blanched when he realized the date. It was Dean's birthday, and not just any birthday, but his thirtieth birthday. Their family had never been big on celebrating the little things, like holidays and birthdays, so most of them had passed by uneventfully, quickly becoming just another day on the calendar. But this was the big 3-0 and, considering where Dean should be, it became a very big deal this year.

Sam internally cursed himself for not remembering. Reggie must have sensed his reproach because she smiled at him warmly and pushed him with her shoulder. "Don't worry. I didn't get him anything either," she whispered. "I didn't even know until Bobby said something to me while Dean was in the kitchen getting the beers."

The sudden quiet pulled Dean from the book and he looked up suspiciously at the three hunters sitting across the room from him. "What's going on?"

"Why don't you have a seat, Dean," Bobby stated. Dean eyed them for a moment, then shrugged and strolled over, dropping onto the floor between Bobby's chair and the couch. He leaned back against the base of the couch next to Reggie's legs. "This is for you," Bobby said, handing Dean the black box.

"For me? Why?" Dean asked suspiciously. He frowned at the box Bobby was offering him, but didn't take it.

"Because it's your birthday, ya idjit!" Bobby snapped. Dean blinked at him, surprised and stunned.

Bobby waved the box at him and finally, Dean took it. He looked at the box, then at Sam and Reggie who both said, "Happy Birthday, Dean," in unison, then back at the box.

"I didn't even realize the date," he mumbled. He stared at the box, running his fingers over the lid.

"Well, aren'tcha gonna open it?" Bobby pressed.

Dean nodded and lifted the lid. Inside was an ornate onyx and silver flask "Wow…um…this is really nice. Thanks, Bobby." He looked up at the hunter and smiled.

"I saw that piece of crap ya've been carryin' around all these years and thought it was about time ya got yourself a better one. It's completely poison proof." Dean chuckled at the irony of that statement; Bobby was especially known for putting holy water into his guests' beverages as a precaution.

"I like it. Thanks." Dean handed the flask to Reggie so she could take a look, squirming under the sudden attention. "So aren't you supposed to get cake or something?"

"Yeah, well. I don't bake, so I guess you'll just have to do without," Bobby growled, making everyone laugh. They sat talking and joking for a while and Dean settled back, happy to be out of the spotlight.

The sun had begun to set and they sat surrounded by empty beer bottles when Dean clapped his hands together. "Well, we better hit the road," he declared. He got up from the floor and offered his hand to Reggie, helping her to her feet.

Bobby followed them to the door and held the screen door open. "You boys need anythin', ya know to call me," Bobby stated, clapping Sam on the back.

"Thanks again, Bobby," Dean said, holding up the flask the man had given him. He jogged down the porch steps and headed straight for the Impala. Reggie followed him to the driver's side. Sam and Bobby stood talking on the porch, obviously giving them a little space.

"You sure you don't want to go back home?" Dean asked, turning to face her as he opened his car door.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Reggie replied. "I think it might be safer for me to hang out here and recover first." She looked back at the two men standing on the porch. "Besides, I think Bobby could use the company," Reggie joked. She stared down at her feet, pushing the gravel in the drive around with the toe of her boot.

"I'm not really that great at goodbyes," Dean said, his voice uncomfortable.

Reggie looked up at him. "This isn't goodbye. At least, I hope not." She sighed and Dean smiled at her. "This is just 'see ya'. We are going to see each other again, Dean."

"Yeah, I guess we might," Dean said, shrugging. He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans and peered over Reggie's head into the salvage yard behind her. He heard her groan and looked down at her. "What?"

"We're bound to see each other again. Why do you have to be so doom and gloom about everything?"

Dean shrugged. "I'm not trying to be." He leaned back against his car, resting his shoulders against its cold, steel roof.

Reggie glanced over his shoulder at Sam and Bobby, then took a deep breath. "The other night, in the room, when we were…kissing…"

"I think it was a little more than kissing," Dean teased. Reggie snorted and pushed him with her uninjured arm.

"This isn't easy for me to discuss, you know, without you interrupting me."

"Sorry, go on." Dean smirked.

"Well…I stopped for a reason." She took another deep breath and blew it out. "God, this is going to be so good for your ego, I'm sure." She looked at Dean, waiting for him to interrupt her again. He continued to grin, but remained silent. She eyed him for a minute, then shook her head. "Just forget it, it's not important. I'm just having some stupid girlie moment." Still shaking her head, Reggie took a step back, grinning up at him.

"I'm glad I met you, Reggie," Dean stated. "I owe Bobby big for that." He pulled her to him and kissed her once on the lips. "Boy do I owe him," he muttered.

"Take care of yourself, Dean," Reggie said, taking a step back from him again.

"Let's go, Sammy," Dean yelled as he dropped into the driver's seat and started the Impala, the car's engine roaring to life.

Sam jogged down the stairs, zipping up his jacket. "We'll talk to you later, Bobby," he called over his shoulder. "See you around, Reggie." He hugged her gently and squeezed her uninjured arm once.

"See ya, Sam." She hobbled up the steps and stood next to Bobby, watching as Sam got in the car. She waved at them as they drove off, the tires kicking up a cloud of gray dust behind them.

"We could always hang out at Bobby's for a little while longer," Sam finally said as Dean pulled out onto the highway. Dean could feel his brother staring at him, trying to read his face in the darkening car.

"I think it would have been a little crowded."

"It's a big house, Dean." Sam shook his head. "Besides, I don't think Bobby would have minded. I don't think Reggie would have, either."

"Just leave it alone, Sammy," Dean growled lowly. He glanced at Sam and saw his brother watching him.

"I don't get you sometimes," Sam grumbled. "There was obviously something there between the two of you."

"Yeah, well, that 'something' almost got her killed."

"She's a hunter, Dean. Her life's in jeopardy every day. Who better to know the life than another hunter?"

"Our lives are a lot more intense, Sam," Dean clarified.

"Okay, that's true, but still. It doesn't mean that you have to push people away." Sam turned in his seat to face Dean, a determined look on his face.

"Look, Sammy. You know I'm not the kind of guy that settles down. I'm all for some fun and an easy getaway. With Reggie, things would…" Dean hesitated, struggling to put the right words together.

"Get complicated?" Sam offered.

"Basically. It would be difficult to keep it just 'fun' with her and I don't think that would be fair."

"Fair for whom?" Sam asked. Dean glanced at him, catching the amused expression on his face before Sam pushed it away. "I get it, Dean. I understand the idea of protecting someone's heart, especially with what has happened in our lives." He sighed and slid back around on the seat. He pulled out his laptop and turned it on.

"Where we headed to next?" Dean asked, changing the subject.

"Well, I found a few newspaper articles dated January ninth about a little town called South Montville, Maine where a man reported finding three of his horses slaughtered in his barn."

"That sounds interesting." Relief flooded through Dean. "What about it caught your attention?"

Sam pulled up the file on his computer. "Well, a Mr. Roger Wentworth reported finding three of his horses dead Monday morning, their necks torn apart. The local police are puzzled by the amount of blood left at the scene. According to the county vet, there wasn't nearly as much as there should have been considering the level of mutilation to the animals."

"Sounds to me like that town has a little vampire problem."

"That's what I thought, too. So what do you say? Think we should go check it out?" Sam asked, looking up at Dean again.

"I say we go kill us some bloodsuckers!" Dean said, pressing down on the gas pedal. The Impala growled in response and they sped off down the black, deserted highway.

THE END

***So, what did you think? Did I do Mr. Kripke's world some justice? Please, leave me reviews - whether you thought it sucked or it rocked or was just okay. Thanks again for sticking with me and Sam and Dean through this wild ride! Hope y'all will check out me second story "On The Menu."***

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

***Sept. 24, 2010 - Okay, so I listen to a lot of music when I'm writing, but when it comes to Supernatural, there's only one kind of music you can listen to to get the right feel and keep the creative juices flowing: rock and roll! Now, I know some may not call it their cup of tea, but it is the background for almost all the episodes and I've been a big fan since the days of highchairs and bibs. I grew up listening to Nuegent and Jagger (and then some metal was added in later years - thank you Mr. Hetfield!) and I have an old soul. I've seen a few people put playlists at the ends of their chapters or stories and, while I would love to do this, there is just too much to type out.

So, if you would like to know what is on my I-pod (or I-tunes depending on which computer I'm writing on) under "Dean Winchester Radio" I will give you some of the artists: AC/DC, Metallica, Lynyrd Skynryd, Rush, Bon Jovi, Motley Crue, Boston, Guns-N-Roses, Skid Row, Styx, Quiet Riot, Queensryche, Night Ranger, The Rolling Stones, Def Leppard, Alice In Chains, Deep Purple, Foreigner, Johnny Cash, Black Sabbath, Whitesnake, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Journey (yes, Journey - Wheel In The Sky was used a few times in the recaps!), and, of course, Led Zepplin and Kansas. Hope that helps anyone who would be wondering!***