Disclaimer: Supernatural and Gilmore Girls are not of my creation. Each of them belong to their respective creators, writers, producers, studios, and anything else that holds a little piece of these two fabulous shows. No copyright infringement intended.

A.N. : While I was planning to update this as soon as possible, life got in the way. I started working more, and now I'm back in school, finding time to do anything besides relax is hard, but thanks to three reviewers, I'm officially back on the horse, so to say. I'm hoping t hat I'll be able to update soon after this, but this semester I'm taking 3 classes instead of the regular 2 and it's tough. I mean, if anyone can give me the anthropological significance of gay unions, hit me up with the answer, because that's going to be one of my test questions. It was so much easier when we just had to define the words instead of getting all philosophical.

Anyways.

This chapter is dedicated to 3 people: JaredAlexisFan, JaredLuver, and Jared&AlexisLuver. The three angels who reviewed and got me back to working again. Thanks so much for the reviews. They seriously made my day!

So, on with the story, hope you like it and don't forget to review!

Highway to Hell

By Hadlee May

.Chapter 8.

Ever since this all began, Rory had seriously considered the true meaning of destiny. Wondered if there really was this grand force out there that was controlling and manipulating everything in order to gain certain outcomes. Was it destiny that Sam Winchester just happened to be one of those special kids, gifted with the ability to see the future, and seeing her untimely end in one of his visions? Was it destiny that she'd had plenty of contact with both avatars previous to her world being turned upside down? Better yet, was it destiny that brought Tristan DuGray, the former bane of her existence onto the very road she, Dean, and Sam were headed to? Put him in their paths when they were just starting to really seek out answers? Rory Gilmore hoped so.

"So that's what they do? Hunt ghosts?" Tristan asked Rory as they leaned against the side of the Impala, arms crossed across their chests, watching the two brothers have a heated discussion with a petite blonde, who despite her smaller stature, looked equally fierce. Rory turned to look at him, taking a moment to study the new and improved Tristan.

They'd been in each other's presence for nearly an hour now and he'd yet to make a snide, teasing, or sexual comment towards her. Although, she wasn't sure if it was because Dean was constantly looking over his shoulder, sending Tristan an occasional warning glance or because Tristan DuGray had finally grown up. Either way, she was liking him t his way. He was still as good looking as he had been in high school, though a bit more grown up. His jaw line was stronger, his face thinner. His eyes were the same dark blue that had more than once pierced her own blue orbs when they were younger, though unlike then, they no longer made her speechless. Of course, he was still thin, his clothes fitting tightly to his muscled frame, almost like a second skin and his hair was still in a state of disarray. Rory wasn't sure she could picture him anyway else.

"Among other things." She finally replied, "Demons, witches, old gods…" she paused, "you name it, and they've probably fought it. Ask them about the boogeyman." She meant the words teasingly, but she knew them to be true. Dean had casually mentioned the boogeyman when 

they'd first met and she'd nearly laughed herself to death at the fact that the one creature every child is told not to fear was actually out there. It was another fact of the crazy life she'd found herself in, but she was beginning to obtain a view point of believing everything. When it came to the supernatural, anything was possible.

"Wait." Tristan laughed, "The boogeyman?" He asked.

"I'd ask Sam about it. He tells it better." Rory suggested, smiling.

"That and I don't think Dean likes me too much." Tristan glanced at him, meeting the older Winchester's glance with his only steely glare.

"How'd you get involved in all this?" He inquired after a few minutes. Rory shrugged her shoulders again.

"The avatar of Darkness-" Before she could finish, he cut her off.

"Logan Huntzberger." He supplied.

"Yeah, Logan sent the yellow eyed demon after me."

Tristan chuckled at how she'd said it. The words had come out so casually, as if something like that happened every other day. "And the Winchesters saved you…" He contributed to the story. She nodded and Tristan gave her a look that told her to continue.

"They weren't sure what to do with me, and of course, I was freaking out because." She smiled a bit, "have you noticed how much Sam looks like Dean?" She asked. He looked at her, confusion etched on his face for a moment before a rogue memory from their past sprung into his mind.

"The beans stalk?" He asked, laughing. She nodded, "now that you mention it. That's freaky." He couldn't help but let out another chuckle.

"Yeah, well, they took me to this psychic in Kansas named Missouri." She knew he wanted to comment on that, but he stayed silent, giving her permission to continue on without interruption. "she smacked Dean up the side of his head several times, cooed over Sam then told me that I was special and it'd be best that I stuck with them and the rest is pretty much history." She uncrossed her arms and wiped invisible dirt of her pants on the side of her pants.

"And have you hunted demons and ghosts?" He asked. He was teasing her now.

"I'm not much for the field work, but I do help out with research. I keep notes from different cases; log the different creatures we come across, just for reference. I don't think either of them kept any detailed notes on anything they've come across until a few months ago."

"Looks like a Chilton education came in handy after all." Tristan smirked. Rory couldn't help but laugh, but stopped when Dean turned around to examine the two of them with critical eyes.

"Yeah. And to think that I thought overseas broadcasting was all adventurous and wonderful. I'd be happy to suggest that demon hunting is definitely the way to go if you want to report something worthwhile." She was kidding around.

"You know, I think that your friend Dean wishes I was the bad guy." Tristan said out of the blue, looking at her.

"He's just way over protective." She waved off the tone Tristan had, not wanting to deal with any more drama then she was expecting to once Sam and Dean got through with Jo.

Rory Gilmore was more than correct about the drama that was currently building as what turned out to be a heated discussion that ranged from the haunted road they currently stood on to Jo's decision to involve herself in the latest war Sam and Dean had involved themselves in between the highest good and the lowest evil. "Jo!" Dean didn't try to hide his irritation at the female hunter who did well standing her ground against him, "there's a good reason why we didn't give you the new information we got on the avatars."

"Dean, this isn't all about you." Jo argued. Dean shook his head, looking at his brother for help. Sam stepped closer to Jo, leaning his head down to meet the blonde's eyes.

"Jo. One wrong move can not only get us either hurt or killed, it can also get Rory hurt or killed." Jo groaned, rolling her eyes.

"It's war, Sam!" She cried, "People are going to die. We can't just sit around and do nothing while the big bads out there get their armies and get ready for battle!"

Dean didn't know what to say. He'd known Jo for nearly a year, and he hardly recognized the person that stood before him. When they'd first met she'd been a determined young woman with strong opinions and ideals. All she'd wanted to do was follow in her father's footsteps, but she'd gotten sloppy lately. Going off on hunts without telling anyone and not calling for help until it was a last resort. And now she was telling him that she'd gone off on a wild goose chase, discovered the identity of one of the avatars, and managed to get herself tangled up in a mysterious haunting that possibly had no solution. Finally, after several minutes of observing her, Dean spoke. "Casualties are a part of war, but we don't set out thinking we'll have them. Everyone's life counts, especially Rory's. The bad guys want her for some reason, and until we find out why, her protection is our first priority." The statement ended the topic, but Jo was far from done.

"And who's the guy?" She asked.

"Well, that so happens to be one of the good guys." Rory stepped away from the car as she heard Jo ask about Tristan. Jo turned towards Rory and sneered at her.

The tension between Jo and Rory had always been there. From the moment they met, Rory viewed her as an in petulant child who wanted nothing more than to have all the attention on her. Especially when Dean was there. Going into the Roadhouse, Rory knew that these guys had known the two women who ran the place for some time, and she'd decided that it wasn't her business what had gone on before she'd known the guys. But whether or not there had been anything going on between Jo and Dean, there wasn't now, and Jo's hostility brought out her bitchiness out in full. Dean, of course, was more than pleased that, in a way, both Rory and Jo were fighting for his attention. Jo saw Rory as a snobby, high society brat who wanted nothing more than to ruin her life. The issues that had started from that first meeting hadn't been eased, and now things were worse than ever.

Jo only glared at Rory. "Good guy?" She asked.

"Avatar." She nodded.

"I never saw you as the kind to play with a guy like him when these guys are trying so hard to protect you from him." Jo scoffed. Rory looked taken aback.

"What are you talking about?" Rory asked, "Tristan is the good guy. Logan's the bad one."

A look crossed Jo's face as she covered her mouth with her face. She shook her head. "I met Logan, I talked to Logan. There is no way that guy is the epitome evil. He's sweet, caring…" She trailed off.

"Jo. No matter what you think, or how he showed himself off to you, Logan is no good. I should know. I dated him." Rory wasn't sure how that fit into him being evil. When they had been together, he had been good to her. Treated her like a princess, bought her expensive things, took her exciting places, and introduced her to amazing friends. Most of her memories at Yale revolved around the things that he had introduced her to.

But no matter how charmed she had been by him, after spending the past couple weeks having nightmares about him, she was more than sure that everything he had ever presented himself as was a lie. Dean had questioned her a lot about the things she saw in her dreams, and even he had been unsure of whether or not Tristan was the good guy (especially after Rory told him about the things he'd done to her in high school) and Logan was the bad guy (after Rory had told him about how great he had been). But even he'd admitted that the moment he saw Tristan in that car, he'd known the truth. Tristan possessed those devilish good looks, smooth charm, and penetrating stares, but he'd been nothing but patient and accepting of everything they had told him. That and he'd managed to prove his goodness after he'd healed a small animal nearby his car.

Information about avatars were scarce, and most of it was buried underneath layers and layers of myth, but the one similar trait that had always been key in the tales was that avatars of light had the gift of healing and avatars of darkness had a way of manipulating you by seeing into your mind and targeting your wrong doings. Tristan had yet to explain anything in great detail, though he did say that the battle had become far more organized then it had been a hundred years ago.

Jo didn't have much to say afterwards, but the group worked well into dawn doing the best they could do understand what power was keeping these wayward souls there. "The basic legend around here is that so many odd years ago, this stretch of road was a burial ground to early settlers. For so many generations, everything was built around it. Until the land was bought from a farmer around twenty years ago. The city built this highway over it and over the past twenty years, there's been well over the average amount of carnage." Jo spoke the words like she was reading them off a page. "I've gone over and over what we're supposed to do. In any normal cases, we'd find the bodies, salt and burn then and go home, but the bodies are under asphalt and dirt."

So was the dilemma. Around dawn, the guys, plus Rory and their newest passenger, a very tired avatar of light climbed into the Impala and headed to the closest hotel, where they all crashed into the designated beds and fell into deep sleep.

"Morning." Rory yawned sliding into the booth opposite Dean and Sam, and Jo. Tristan slid in next to her, yawning as well.

"I don't see how you guys do this. I think I'm getting old." Tristan complained, dropping his head to the table. Dean snickered, watching the two. He might have not liked Tristan, but he and Rory together were found to be extremely entertaining. Especially when they were both still half asleep.

"Rory, here, have some of my coffee. Sam liked it so much; he ordered some of his own." Jo offered. Both brothers looked at her in surprise, but Rory wasnot one to turn down coffee no matter who it was from. Breakfast was civil. Rory and Tristan eventually woke up enough to join in on the conversation, and Jo was friendly enough.

Rory, despite her newly awakened status, was feeling funny. She looked up from her food and her eyes locked with Sam's. He had a glint in his eyes that was teasing. She swallowed her food heavily and tried her best to concentrate on the task at hand: eating. "Come on you guys, we got some research to do." Jo finally said, standing up and sliding out of the booth. Jumping out of the booth Rory gasped, bumping into Sam. Suddenly the world was spinning, her body began to burn in the best way ever and she could feel every single cell in her body come alive. She made the 

mistake of looking up and was surprised when Sam grabbed her by the arms and did exactly what her body was begging him to do. He pulled her up against him and landed an extremely heated kiss to her fully accepting lips.

In front of them, Dean and Tristan watched with their mouths hanging open while Jo nonchalantly walked out the door, seemingly oblivious to the moment currently happening in the middle of the diner.

.end chapter.

AN: I hope this was as good as everyone hoped it would be. I took the suggestion of JaredAlexisFan and added some Sam/Rory. When I really thought about it, I thought that a possible situation between the two would not only cause tension between Dean and Rory, but also Sam and Dean, and possibly all of them.

Just to note, I do like Jo. In fact, I was one of those rooting for Dean and Jo to get together, but I've always viewed her as sort of over achieving, and I thought that she would be perfect to the play the role that I needed her to play. Again. I hope people like this.

Please review. Do it in honor of the fact that I'm stuck in a tiny, little room with my two over curious cats and my hyper active dog thanks to Hurricane Gustav. Did I mention I have to sleep with the litter box all up by my feet? Ugh. I'm gonna die.

Thanks for reading. : )