But What I Wouldn't Give To See Your Face Again:
"Bobby!" I called out, placing the first large box down in the hallway just inside the threshold. When I got no reply after nearly a full minute, I tried again yelling, "Honey! I'm home!"
Bobby came out the study's doorway, book still in hand as he replied sarcastically, "Welcome home Pookey." When he saw the large cardboard box in the hallway, he looked over at me and scolded me sternly saying, "Adelaide… Why didn't you call me to come out to help you?"
"Umm… They're not that heavy?" I replied with exaggerated innocence and a nonchalant shrug. "Seriously Bobby, they're no big deal. But if it makes you feel better, you can carry in the one I left out on the porch while I go and grab my bags out of the car."
He was already moving the first box into the study as he called over his shoulder, "It would… Thank you very much."
I was still laughing to myself as I made my way down his front stairs because I had already predicted that that would be Bobby's exact reaction. He was too over-protective of all of us and I didn't want to fight with him because I really did need to do some heavy lifting or any other form of exercise. I hadn't really had a chance to use my muscles since Raphael had pulled me out and I sorely missed doing any kind of physical activity. Plus, if I really was going to help fight… Well anything, I needed to get back into shape, mentally and physically.
When I got back to the study's door, Bobby was already starting to unpack practically all of the contents of both of the boxes. I tried my best to suppress my laughter but I found it very difficult because at that moment he looked so much like Toby when my son eagerly opened any presents bought for him.
"I'm just going to take this upstairs…" I started but had to stop to maintain my composure. "Then I'll be right back down to help you unpack, okay?"
Bobby briefly waved a hand over his head, muttering a very distracted, "Uh huh."
When I got to the room that I had been sharing with Dean, I found a couple of large paper bags with the logo for 'Wally's Western World' on the bed. As I picked one up for a closer inspection, I couldn't help but cringe slightly. Dean and I had never had any troubles showing each other how we felt, at least not physically, but for a brief moment I worried that he may have wanted to do something, like role playing, to keep things exciting between us… Worse yet, he was falling back onto one of his childhood obsessions for inspiration.
The bag that I had picked up was empty, so I slowly reached for the other one, still not sure if I really wanted to see what I would find in it. To my surprise, there was only one single, dark grey Stetson to be found. I placed it on my head, but of course it was too large for me to wear, so I just left it on the bed and made my way back downstairs feeling even more perplexed about why Dean was suddenly dressing like a cowboy.
As I reached the bottom of the stairs, I called out with a playful tone, "So Bobby where are the guys? I saw the Impala outside… Oh… And why in God's name are you letting Dean near anything Western? I thought that I could trust you of all people!"
Bobby didn't answer me, so I almost yelled again for him, but then I heard him in the kitchen saying, "What the hell is going on? Cas?"
Castiel held his hand up, panting in labored breaths, to halt Bobby in his place. By the time I got to the kitchen, the angel had just completed an unfamiliar sigil with his blood on Bobby's fridge. Bobby quickly threw his hand up to cease my speech and movement and I obediently froze in my place.
While I stood in the doorway, Bobby tentatively approached the distraught angel asking, "Cas…? Are we running or fighting?"
Castiel struggled to get to his feet and took a step towards Bobby answering, "We're…"
After the angel had passed out in Bobby's arms, the hunter just muttered a loud and frustrated, "BALLS!"
When I didn't move to help, Bobby continued to struggle with the angel's weight then looked over to me and grunted out, "Feel free to help at any time."
"Yeah… Sure…" I replied distractedly as I snapped out of my daze and ran to his side.
As I braced my shoulder under Castiel's armpit to claim some of his weight, my hand landed hard onto his ribs on the right side of his chest. My grip slipped slightly when my palm hit his wound and contacted the blood that was oozing out of it. Instinctively, I ran my fingers along the cut to attempt to gauge its severity while we dragged his nearly lifeless body to the couch in Bobby's study.
"Shit… Bobby this feels pretty bad," I commented as I held up my hand that was now completely covered in blood to illustrate my point him.
Bobby continued to help me lay Castiel on the couch then as I sat and placed the angel's head in my lap he instructed quickly, "Alright… You keep pressure on it then and I'll go grab the kit…"
My attention was solely focused on the pained look on Castiel's face and I couldn't seem to get any part of me to move, so Bobby shook my shoulder roughly more forcefully asking, "Addy? Did you hear me? I need you to try to stem the blood flow, understand?"
I quickly removed my over shirt, bunched it up and pressed it against the origin of the oozing blood. I could feel the older hunter watching me so I turned my watering eyes towards him and repentantly answered, "Yes Sir… I'll keep pressure on the wound… I'm… I'm sorry for the hesitation Sir. It… It won't happen again Sir."
Bobby scowled and was so taken aback by my response that he more tenderly gripped my shoulder as he worriedly asked, "Addy…? Koala Bear…? Are you okay?"
My eyes met his again and I smiled more easily asking, "Bobby? Oh… Hey… Hey, I've got this… Could you maybe grab us some supplies to stop the bleeding and get him cleaned up?"
He wasn't sure if I was in so much shock that my thought process had become disjointed or if there was something more serious going on with me, but Bobby decided to push those thoughts to the back burner for now. First we had to deal with the injured angel and then he would contemplate getting into whatever was happening with me. Castiel needed Bobby and me to focus, so he just gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze before turning to leave the room. I watched him exit the study wondering why he had given me such a sad look when he normally remained beyond stoic during any of our times of need, but then Castiel wheezed in a breath and my mind refocused on him.
Before I could start to mentally analyze Bobby's facial expressions, I felt Castiel's blood soaking through the t-shirt that I was holding to his chest wound. I kept it pressed hard to the wound as I gave my own torso a long, lingering look. My Mum had taught me early on that every hunter should dress in layers just in case of occasions such as this, so I still had my long sleeve shirt on after peeling off my t-shirt. As much as I wanted to throw my blood soaked shirt to the ground and exchange it for what I was wearing, I really didn't want to traumatize Bobby any further by tending to Castiel's wounds while only wearing my bra, so I just sat there waiting for Bobby's return.
"How bad does it look?" Bobby asked once he rejoined us in the study.
I didn't reply straightaway because I had only been trying to stem the flow of blood, so I still wasn't completely sure how deeply Castiel was cut. I gingerly peeled away the soiled cloth and we both had to shield our eyes from the blinding white/blue light that escaped from Castiel's wounded flesh.
I quickly replaced the nearly useless shirt against his skin and tried to keep my voice calm as I replied, "Well I'm pretty sure that that can't mean anything good… Where are we on the supplies Bobby?"
He held up some gauze and tape looking slightly unsure and lost as he said, "Well… I have this."
Bobby started working at cleaning and patching up the wound as I refocused my eyes on Castiel's face. I plucked out a cold face cloth from a bowl that Bobby had brought in with him and started tracing the angel's hairline with it to clean away all of the sweat from his face desperately hoping that the pained expression on his face would soften.
I immediately went into autopilot as we tended to the injured angel and I started quietly offering words of comfort almost absentmindedly. "We're here Cas… Don't worry… Bobby and I will take care of you… Everything is going to be okay… We've got you Cas… We've always got your back."
"'Gank'? What's 'gank'? Mister, you're crazy… No way. You're on your own," the Deputy replied trying to stand his ground without looking overly convincing.
Dean would not be deterred by the other man's fearful demeanor and continued just as confidently, "I'm not asking you to throw down with him… I'm asking you to play your part."
"My part?" The real lawman asked sounding more and more confused.
Dean didn't waiver as he replied, "Yeah… Bait."
Dean then turned to leave the room while holding the Deputy's arm in a bruising grip, but stopped when he heard a whooshing sound of a skirt as a woman rushed down the hall away from the room.
"Hey… Hey! Stop!" Dean called out to her. "Umm… I'm the Sheriff! Stop!"
She hesitated as she stopped and then coyly looked over her shoulder at the two men. Dean's eyebrows tilted together on his forehead as he whispered in amazement, "You…"
The Deputy stepped out of his room and stole a glance over Dean's shoulder at the direction of the end of the hall. She had fully turned around to look at the men and the Deputy didn't hesitate to push Dean out of the way as he teasingly asked, "Victoria? Were you here to offer me some comfort and protection?"
The brunette took in a deep breath then flashed him a flawless, bewitching smile that threw Dean off a bit. He had been expecting to see the same disease ridden, gummy smile that he had been confronted with during his encounter with Darla in Elkin's saloon to prove to himself that he must be imagining things. Victoria stepped up to them with the same confidence as Darla, but Dean immediately noticed that she looked and smelled as clean as he and Sam which made her look somewhat out of place.
She easily maneuvered around the hunter and seductively replied, "Why yes I was, Deputy… But now that the big, strong Sheriff is here to protect you, so I guess you don't really need me to…"
Victoria lightly petted the man's face as she spoke and he was rendered completely mute by her touch. Dean watched with bizarre fascination as the woman in the almost too tight, corset dress worked her magic on his bait. Dean still wasn't sure what her endgame was or why she hadn't tried to relay it to him, but he didn't protest because she seemed to convince the Deputy to follow the 'Sheriff' willingly with barely another word spoken.
The Deputy continued down the hall in a blissful daze, leaving Dean and his mystery woman alone. She then gave Dean the same knowing smile that she had flashed him back when she was trying to comfort a distraught and nearly hysterical Darla after Judge Mortimer's untimely death then gracefully turned to continue on her way.
Dean's hand shot out and after he had regained her undivided attention, he quietly questioned with severe conviction, "What are you doing here?"
She maintained a bright smile on her face while answering with cool confidence, "Why Sheriff… I was just here to offer your Deputy the pleasure of my company… That hasn't been outlawed, has it?"
Before he replied, Dean tightened his grip on her arm and pulled her closer to him. He didn't want to show her how vulnerable she could make him, but he sincerely hoped that if he broke character then she would as well.
"Lay… Lay…" He pleaded into her hair as he caressed the back of her head. "How… How'd you convince him to send you here too? He said it was too risky… You shouldn't be here."
She quickly yanked her arm out of Deans grasp and tried to shrug him off, then without hiding her distain retorted, "I don't know who this 'Lay' woman is, but I got here all by my lonesome on my horse, Sheriff. Now… If have no other business to discuss…?"
He stared at her with stunned disbelief and released her with a sincere, "I'm sorry Ma'am… Yes, we're done…"
He couldn't muster up any other words as he watched her grip her skirt tightly in her left hand so that she could turn and walk with more ease. Even though she didn't look completely comfortable in her dress, Victoria moved too naturally in the outfit for her to be the woman Dean had mistaken her for. When she got a few feet away from him, she couldn't help but stop to throw him one last playful smile over her shoulder.
"Although… Sheriff… We should find each other… When this job is done and all…" She commented before rounding the corner and disappearing from view.
Dean was still mumbling in utter disbelief to himself when he met up with the Deputy outside. As they continued to the Sheriff's Office, the Deputy couldn't help but laugh before casually observing, "Yeah… She is a bit of a mystery."
"Yeah… Wait… Really? You know her?" The new Sheriff questioned, grabbing his bait's arm to stop him in their tracks. "Tell me everything that you know about her."
The Deputy swallowed uncomfortably then Dean took a step back and closed the iron, barred door. Once the lawman realized that he wasn't going anywhere now that he was locked in the cell, he hoped that by not resisting that he would be released that much sooner.
"She showed up here just after Finch and his wife came to town. Don't really know much about her except she makes friends with anyone she meets easily and… And she's a pistol in the sack…"
"She showed up before yesterday?" Dean inadvertently interrupted.
The Deputy nodded then Dean asked, "What's her name…? I mean her full name… First and last."
"Wallace… Victoria Wallace…"
Dean's mouth dropped open as he continued to stare at the man in the cell then he forced himself to regain his composure as he asked, "Wallace? Her name is Wallace?"
"Yeah… Why? Does that mean something to you 'Sheriff'?" The caged man asked the last part of his question with more than a hint of sarcasm when he called Dean 'Sheriff'.
"Maybe…" Dean contemplated as he turned and walked away from him. "Maybe she really wasn't Lay," Dean finished quietly to himself.
"So Bobby…? Where are Dean and Sam?" I asked as I exchanged the book I had been reading for another on the large pile beside my leg on the floor.
Bobby preoccupied himself for a moment by pouring himself a drink. After his glass was empty, it appeared that he had formulated a reply that he was satisfied with giving me. "They got a lead on something that we can use against Eve."
I placed my latest book on the arm rest of the couch and tried to keep the rest of my movements to a minimum while Castiel slept with his head in my lap. Bobby continued taking notes while I watched him in disbelief, so I cleared my throat loudly in the hopes that I could regain his attention with that small gesture. When that didn't seem to work, I picked up my pen and threw it, as hard as I could with my limited range of motion, and hit him square in the shoulder.
The hunter looked up and gave me a disapproving, almost fatherly, look so I in turn didn't attempt to mask my own annoyance at all as I said, "Please Bobby… Be a little more vague… Seriously, come on. Dean mentioned something about Phoenix ash… So… I'm guessing that the two of them not being here means that you boys figured out where to find one before I got back…"
"Well… Addy… Isn't not so much about 'where' to find one…" Bobby explained very evasively again. "It's more like… Umm… 'When'."
He then turned back to the book he was reading, knowing full well that his responses wouldn't come close to satisfying my curiosity. Bobby was also aware that my motherly instincts would be kicking into overdrive while I tried to comfort Castiel since he was injured so badly. He also knew that because of all of those reasons that I would contain my anger and refrain from starting a shouting match with him so that the injured angel could rest.
"BOBBY!" I finally cried out in hushed exasperation. "What the hell kind of an answer is that? Seriously! Come on!"
Bobby initially replied by pointing to Castiel then placing his forefinger to his lips. I glared at his attempts to reprimand me and to mind my tone because of the angel in the room… But I didn't get the chance to speak my mind to him because he abruptly stood up and handed me the journal he had been scribbling in so that I could read and entry he turned to… Even if he was covering up the majority of the page with his giant paws that he called hands.
At first all I could read was his inscription of: MARCH 5, 1861 SUNRISE, WYOMING: GUN KILLED A PHOENIX TODAY… LEFT A PILE OF SMOLDERING ASH. ~SAMUEL COLT
Before saying anything in response, I took the journal out of Bobby's hands so that I could read the page's inscriptions in full. At the top there was a simple title of "PHOENIX". That was then followed by a bulleted list of attributes and descriptions of the mythical creature that Bobby had found in the dusty volumes of his library and the vast collection that belonged to the Campbell's. In the back of my mind I hoped that the books I brought from home would offer some information that he hadn't found yet. Then closer to the bottom, as usual, Bobby had transcribed some quotes from sources ranging from poetry to personal journals that referenced the title creature.
"Wyoming… 1861…" I read aloud again. "Bobby? Does this mean what I think I means? Are… Are they…?"
Bobby nodded then held up a timer, but before I could question him further about its significance Castiel started to stir and moaned painfully. His eyes fluttered open and after he noticed that his head was being cradled in my lap, he tried to sit up quickly. I gently pushed his shoulder blades to help him to sit upright. I wanted to break down and cry with every move the angel made because at first all he could really do was just breathe loudly as he forced some air in and out of his lungs.
"Hey, hey… Take it easy Castiel," I implored softly while I tried to help into a more comfortable position.
"Cas, you… You look like you went twelve rounds with Truckasaurus. What happened?" Bobby casually asked as he sat on the edge of his desk so that he was in front of Castiel and me.
Castiel looked around the room as I maintained my death grip on his jacket to help him to stay somewhat upright while he answered, "I was… Uhh… I was betrayed. Rachel, uhh… Raphael… He corrupted her. She turned on me."
"Oh my… Cas, I'm so sorry," I replied remorsefully.
Bobby seemed less than impressed by either my empathy or Castiel's statement as he answered, "Sorry. Girl's a real… Peach."
"She's… Dead. I… Was wounded. I needed… Safety. Thank you," Castiel continued in an unnervingly calm tone.
He then gripped one of my thighs and very slowly tried to force his body to stand up. I immediately tugged on the back of his jacket to pull Castiel back to the couch while Bobby took ahold of his right shoulder in an effort to accomplish the same goal as myself.
"Castiel, you need to rest," I explained as I gently pushed him to force him to settle against the back of the couch. "You sit… Stay… I'll go and grab you a glass of water."
While I was in the kitchen, I could hear the muffled conversation that continued without me between the hunter and the angel, but both of them were speaking too quietly for me to hear the actual content of their discourse. As I ran the water down the drain of the sink to ensure it was cold enough to be palatable, I soon found myself lost in thought and stared at the blood that was staining Bobby's fridge. I reasoned to myself that the image must have been a sigil that warded off angels, demons or something like that, but it didn't resemble any symbol that I had been able to uncover over my years of researching Heaven, Hell and everything in-between.
When I returned to the study, the two men were so engrossed in their conversation that I was able to easily slip back onto the couch to sit beside Castiel without being noticed.
Cas was avoiding making eye contact with Bobby who was now standing in the middle of the room as the angel replied, "There is one thing that might work, but… It's extremely dangerous."
"Shocker," Bobby retorted with complete indifference. "So… Lay it on us."
"It's your soul," the angel explained while he still avoiding making eye contact with either of us until Bobby replied with an undeniable tone of sarcasm, "What do you want us to do? Make another deal? Seal it with a kiss?"
"Bobby!" I scolded from my spot on the couch. Bobby shrugged then continued to glare in our general direction. I then turned to the angel and gripped his hands as I politely asked, "Castiel… Please… What do you need to do with our souls?"
Castiel then turned to me and explained, "I need you…" He realized that we weren't alone in the room and turned to look up at Bobby saying, "I need one of you… To let me… Touch it."
"Touch it?" Bobby and I questioned in unison.
"The human soul… It's pure… Energy," Castiel described somewhat hesitantly. "If I can siphon some of it off, I… I might be able to bring Sam and Dean back."
When I heard the word 'might', I stared at Castiel wide-eyed then slowly turned my chin so that I was facing Bobby so I could silently ask, "What the fuck does that mean?"
Bobby seemingly ignored my reaction as he shifted our attention by calmly asking, "And the catch is…?"
Castiel's tone didn't change. He still sounded like someone trying to convince a stranger to sign over their life savings to them as he said, "Doing this is like… Putting your hand in a nuclear reactor. I have to do it gingerly."
"Or…?" Bobby and I implored once again in unison.
"Or you'll explode," Castiel concluded while turning to face away from both Bobby and myself.
I took in a deep breath with my eyes closed then tried to give him some level of reassurance by maintaining a comfortable hold on his hand before I looked into his guilt ridden eyes. I managed to give him a tight smile while we all sat in silence for the time being. I figured that we were each contemplating the ramifications of Castiel's proposal, but I instinctively couldn't allow us to hesitate too long because time was running out for Dean… And Sam right now.
"Well… Keep both hands on the wheel… Let's do this," Bobby announced to break the silence of the room before I could.
Without my consent, my head whipped around to face the man that now played the role of father figure to all of us as I retorted in a stunned tone, "Bobby… No… No…" I then turned back to Castiel and gripped his hands tightly in mine saying, "Cas… I'll do it… You can touch my soul."
Bobby grabbed my shoulders and forced me to look at him once again. "No Adelaide. You… You have your baby boy to watch out for right now… Cas… You and me… Let's go."
I stood up between the two of them and gripped Bobby's biceps tightly asserting desperately, "And Sam and Dean NEED you… We'd be lost without you…"
Before I could continue my protests, Castiel forced himself to stand up and quickly tapped my forehead with two fingers. Bobby was just barely able to catch me before I fell to the ground after I went completely limp in his arms.
"Well I guess that settles that," Bobby said with a relieved smile. We were close enough to the couch that all he had to do was leaned me back slightly to sit me down on it.
Castiel flopped onto the couch beside my unconscious body and almost absentmindedly replied, "Adelaide's soul… Wouldn't do…"
Bobby was pulling a chair over closer to the couch, but he stopped abruptly and asked, "What do you mean 'wouldn't do' Cas?"
The angel kept his eyes trained on me as he replied, "Everything that happened… The damage… That Adelaide's soul suffered in Hell… It still hasn't completely healed."
Bobby looked down at me, stroked my cheek and sadly said, "Balls…" Then he looked back over at Castiel with his jaw firmly clenched then instructed as he sat down on his chair, "Well one problem at a time. Let's get you healed, get those boys home and then I'll take care of fixing… I'll take care of Addy."
"Are you sure?" Castiel inquired with a somewhat worried tone.
Bobby just shrugged then said, "Well, we can't just strand those idjits in Deadwood, can we?"
Castiel started to roll up his sleeve, but still tried to give Booby the chance to back out stating, "The risks…"
"Just…" Bobby interrupted shaking his head and stealing another quick glance at me over his shoulder. "Don't explode me."
"Sheriff…! Sheriff!" Victoria called out running to catch up to the Winchester brothers. "Sheriff! I heard gunshots. Are… Are you okay?"
She held his arm in one hand and eyed him up and down, sporadically touching various spots on his chest and arms while she checked him for any type of injury. Sam watched her with his mouth hanging open, unable to speak even though a million questions were running through his mind. Dean caught her wandering hand and held it to her side to try to still her motion.
"Addy…?" Sam quietly muttered while staring at Dean in the hopes that his brother would explain what was happening in front of him right now.
Dean didn't answer his brother's silent questions and instead remained focused on the woman that had joined them. "I'm fine Victoria… But thank you for your concern… I almost didn't recognize you there for a minute…"
She slipped her hat off her head and let her dark hair tumble down and over her shoulders to the middle of her back. She then tapped her cowboy hat against her denim lad leg and shifted uncomfortably from one booted foot to another.
"Well… Dresses aren't just hard to move in… They make me kind of conspicuous most of the time," she explained, blushing slightly. "Okay… Well… Moving on…"
Sam shook his head, still not understanding what was happening. He then caught a quick glimpse at his watch so he addressed his brother saying, "Umm… Dean…? We kind of…"
"Right… Finch…" Dean finished for his brother.
"You know what he is," she stated in awe as she placed her hat back on her head without bothering to bundle her hair under it again to conceal that she wasn't a male. "And… You know how to kill him… I haven't been able to find anything helpful on that front."
Dean smiled with a hint of mischief in his eyes. He squeezed her arm reassuringly as he replied, "Don't worry… Finch is as good as dead."
Sam then turned to leave and Dean followed him to their previous path down the wooden sidewalk. The younger Winchester was a few strides ahead of his brother, so he didn't witness Victoria grabbing Dean's free hand to pull him back towards her.
She removed her hat with her other hand and dipped down under the brim of Dean's hand to place a soft, lingering kiss on his lips. "Good luck Sheriff. When you're done, drinks are on me… Just head over to the Saloon."
She then abruptly turned and headed in the direction of Elkin's Saloon, smiling somewhat smugly to herself. Dean stood in his spot, frozen in amazed disbelief. He had always joked that Addy had great taste in men that was proven by the fact that she had fallen for him, but he never would have thought that he could have teased her that it was actually a trait that could and would be passed down through the generations of her family.
"Ahem…" Sam announced while clearing his throat to bring Dean out of his thoughts. "If you're done making out with… Umm… Addy's clone… Time's running out," he said while tapping his index finger on the face of his watch.
Dean swiped his hand across his lips mumbling "Yeah… Right…" and then jogged to catch up with his brother. Suddenly Dean gripped Sam's forearm worriedly saying, "Sam… Promise me that you won't tell Lay about… Her…"
Sam stared at his brother, not really believing what he was hearing because Dean had actually sounded genuinely concerned. But then his brother surprised him yet again by quickly flashing Sam a cocky grin then saying, "Hey… It isn't my fault that it's embedded in the Wallace women's DNA to fall so desperately in love with me."
Sam groaned and then rolled his eyes before turning away saying, "Yeah, okay… Whatever you say Hot Shot… Let's just go and kill Finch already…"
I woke up to a blinding light and instinctively threw my arm over my eyes to shield them from the glare. That was then followed by a quick high pitched noise before the room suddenly went completely still again. I tentatively moved my arm away from my face and was mildly surprised to find that Castiel was gone.
Bobby was slumped forward in his chair, so I shot up on the couch to try to comfort him despite a mild wave of nausea that hit me.
"Bobby? Bobby? Are you okay?" I called out, trying not to panic as I threw my arms around his neck.
Bobby raised a hand and patted my forearm hoarsely replying, "Fine… I'm fine."
I hugged him tightly and rested my cheek on the back of his shoulder. After sniffling in a breath I quietly said, "If you ever do anything that stupid…" I had to swallow my impending sob before I could more easily joke, "Remind me I owe you a swift ass kicking when you're better."
He tried to laugh but he immediately started to cough painfully. I gently patted his back and started to apologize but was silenced by the sight of Dean falling to his knees at Bobby's feet. I sat back in my spot on the couch and held my breath when I saw that Sam, Dean and Castiel had all returned to the room.
Sam was looking down at Dean, so I followed his gaze just in time to see Dean drop a glass bottle to the floor and close his eyes looking completely defeated. Although Castiel's wounds were completely healed now, he was still looking fairly pale and worse for the wear. Bobby started to try to stand, so Dean and I jumped to our feet and grabbed one of his arms. As we helped him to the chair behind his desk, Sam did the same for Castiel and helped him to the chair that Bobby had just vacated.
All of the men looked beyond exhausted, so I walked towards the kitchen offering, "Why don't I get us a round of drinks?"
Dean chuckled softly then called out, "Thanks Lay."
When I got into the kitchen, I quietly grumbled, "Oh come on guys" when I saw that the sink was filled to the brim with dirty dishes. I was pretty confident that there was little to no chance that I would find five clean glasses in the cupboard, so I quickly searched through the pile and pulled out all of the glasses that I could find.
As I washed them, I could just barely hear that the four men were talking. The one thing that I made out the clearest was Dean apologizing to Bobby. Hearing the frustrated sorrow in Dean's voice hit me hard and I felt like my knees were going to give out.
Before turning to face them again, I took a moment to force myself to keep a brave face. Dean was still in front of Castiel, fidgeting with his hat when I got back into the room. The air in the room felt heavy and the atmosphere was beyond grim and I wasn't sure if we could easily get over this latest loss in our ongoing battle.
"So… Who's thirsty?" I finally asked to break the tense silence in the room. After I placed the glasses on Bobby's desk, I reached for the bottle of whiskey. As I opened the bottle I looked up and noticed we were missing one of the herd. "Where's Sam?"
Dean barely lifted his head as he motioned with his hat to his left replying, "Knock at the door."
"Oh…"
As I poured the drinks Sam returned with a package in his hands. Dean finally moved from his spot to stand beside Sam and watched as his brother unwrapped a wooden box. I quickly abandoned the bottle to move to a spot beside Bobby so that I could get a better look.
We all watched in silence as Sam slid the lid off the box. First he lifted up a Blackberry cell phone with a cracked display. The Winchesters exchanged a look then Sam put it back in the box and continued to explore through the stuffing to find the other contents. He then snatched up a piece of paper and turned partially towards his brother as he read its contents aloud.
"Dear Sam, I got this address and date off your thingamajig and thought the enclosed might come in handy. Regards, Samuel Colt."
We all watched him in a stunned silence, but before any of us could attempt to verbalize a thought, Sam pulled a glass bottle out of the box. As he raised it up to look at what it was holding, Dean finally cracked a smile and felt myself shudder as I sight with relief.
"Is that what I think it is?" Bobby questioned for all of us.
Dean replied sounding much happier than he had before, "Ashes of the Phoenix." He paused for a moment then asked, "You know what this means?"
"Yeah, I didn't get a 'soulonoscopy' for nothing," Bobby answered with a slight hint of sarcasm.
I wrapped an arm around his shoulders and hugged him tightly. After I kissed his temple, I whispered his name as a gentle warning not to joke about the sacrifice he had made for all of us.
Dean maintained his composure and replied, "Yes… And… It means we take the fight to her."
We all exchanged looks of uncertainty then Dean placed his hat back on his head with a cocky flare. I couldn't help but roll my eyes because he looked like he was in fact enjoying his outfit a little too much.
I picked up a couple of the filled glasses and moved to pass them to the Winchesters saying, "I guess that makes this a celebratory round of drinks now."
We all raised our glasses then swallowed down their contents. I started to pour us each another round, but Castiel and Bobby waved me off with a quiet "No" and "No thanks".
Castiel looked up and abruptly said, "Congratulations… I need to…"
Before he completed his thought, the angel disappeared from the room. We all stared at each other and shrugged, and then we heard the sound of Bobby softly snoring.
I chuckled softly then sheepishly offered, "He's been through a lot… We should probably get him to bed so that he can rest properly."
Sam saw that I was going to try to move Bobby on my own, so he stepped forward saying, "I got him Addy."
Bobby started to wake up and muttered a few groggy words as Sam half dragged him out of the room. I watched them until they disappeared from view then turned my attention to the glasses that we had been using. I wasn't ready to talk to Dean yet about everything that had happened because I wasn't sure if I should punch him for doing something so risky or hug him because we were all so relieved that he and Sam had succeeded.
As I worked at tidying up Bobby's desk, I only stopped when Dean gently grabbed one of my wrists to still my motion. He pressed his chest against my back then buried his nose into my hair and took a deep breath to inhale my scent. I stood completely still as Dean ran his hands up my arms and brushed my hair off my shoulder so that he could kiss my neck. When I sighed, I felt him chuckle against my skin and then my eyes flew open.
I turned around in his arms and he leaned in to try to kiss me, but I dodged his attempt and his lips landed on my neck instead. Dean didn't let that distract him and he just continued to kiss and nibble my flesh.
"Dean…? Dean…?"
He stopped and relented slightly, but didn't take a step back after he had stopped. I couldn't really see his face so I sat up on Bobby's desk to try to put some space between us. He seemed to take the hint after that and took a tiny step back with a concerned look on his face.
I gently punched his shoulder then tried my best not to let my voice crack as I scolded him saying, "That has got to be one of the dumbest, riskiest, stupidest thing you have ever done…"
"I know Lay," he agreed as he cupped my cheek with one hand.
"What if Cas couldn't have brought you back? What if you were stuck there…? Then…?" I continued in the same annoyed tone.
"I know… I know… But he did and we aren't, so don't worry about it," he countered as he stroked my cheek with his thumb. "I'm sorry if I worried you."
I took off his hat and placed it behind me on the desk saying, "There! Now was that so hard to say?"
He started chuckling as I pushed his jacket off his shoulders. He unlatched his hand from my face to slip his arms out of the sleeves and let it fall to the ground with a dull thud. He stood and watched me with a bit of trepidation as I got distracted and started to trace my finger over the gold star badge on the left side of his chest.
"I think I get it now Dean," I commented somewhat absentmindedly.
"Lay?" Dean asked worriedly when I didn't continue speaking and just stared at his chest. "Hey… Hey… You get what?"
I forced my eyes to meet his and let a smile spread across my face as I replied, "I totally get it now… You look fucking hot as a cowboy."
He was momentarily stunned, so I tugged him forward by the lapels of his vest and kissed him hard. He had to plan his hands on the desk top to keep from knocking me over while he tried to match my pace. Once he was sure that we had regained our balance again, he tangled his fingers in my hair at the back of my head and deepened our embrace.
"Actually… I'm the Sheriff," he corrected me in a breathless, rough tone after he rested his forehead against mine.
I laughed softly then gently shoved him back, sarcastically retorting, "So sorry… My mistake… And no… I am NOT going to be calling you Sheriff."
Dean chuckled then leaned in and whispered, "But it sounds so sexy when you do."
He then kissed my jaw and continued his embraces until he reached my lips. I heard a floorboard creak in the hallway, so I quickly backed out of our kissing which threw Dean slightly off balance. He hadn't heard it, so he scowled a bit then moved in to kiss me again so I palmed his face and pushed him away as I called out, "Hey Sam!"
When my hand hit Dean's face, it took the kiss that I had dodged. Dean then demonstrated his irritation by licking my palm so I quickly retracted my hand from his face.
"Eww… Dean… Gross!" I groused as I rubbed my hand on the sleeve of Dean's shirt.
"Hey! Do you hear me complaining about you almost breaking my nose?" Dean countered with a cheeky grin.
He stepped beside me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders while Sam joined us, biting his lip to keep from laughing.
"Sorry to interrupt," he finally said once he was sure that he wouldn't laugh.
I hopped off the desk, shoved Dean a little too roughly, even though I meant it to be playful and then replied, "No worries Sam. I should be cleaning up, not indulging that one over there."
He couldn't help but chuckle when I jutted my chin in the direction of his brother who looked mildly wounded. Two of the glasses still had whiskey in them, so I passed one to each of the brothers and scooped up the three empty glasses before hurrying into the kitchen. They both followed me, bottle in hand, and took a seat at the kitchen table.
"Bobby looks horrible… What happened while we were gone?" Sam asked my back while I tackled the pile of dirty dishes.
I shrugged and kept on task while I tried to figure out if I should be blunt with them or not. After I had confessed practically everything that had happened in Hell to Dean, I had tried my best to maintain that honesty streak, so I decided now wasn't the best time to break it.
"An angel attacked Cas and he got hurt really badly," I started, thankful that I didn't have to see the looks on their faces when I heard their quiet reactions. "He almost wasn't able to get back to bring you guys home, so Bobby… He offered to help him heal."
I was finished the last dish by this time, so I just stared down at my hands in the soapy water. Every time something weird happened to us, I told myself that that was it, that nothing more bizarre than that could happen. Then the Winchesters went back in time to kill a Phoenix while an angel groped Bobby's soul to heal a potentially fatal wound. We barely ever got a chance to react to anything that confronted us before the next thing blindsided us. At moments like this I easily got lost in my own thoughts as I tried to put everything into perspective.
"How? What'd Bobby do to help?" Dean repeated over and over until I turned around.
He handed me his filled glass as I sat down with them at the table. I took it gratefully and swallowed the liquid in one gulp.
"Cas… He did something to… To… Sap some of the power or something from Bobby's soul…" I quickly raised the glass back to my lips as they stared at me in a stunned silence. "Considering what he's been through, I don't think Bobby looks all that bad," I tried to joke to get us to finish with this topic.
"Wow… Shit…" They both whispered in unison.
I filled the glass and passed it to Dean then squeezed his leg asking, "So… How was Wyoming? Was the Wild Wild West everything you dreamed that it would be?"
Sam choked slightly on his drink and Dean just clenched his jaw trying not to react.
I nodded towards Sam chuckling as I said, "I'll takethat as a no." Then I turned to Dean, held his hand and continued in a loving tone, "And I'll take that as you not wanting to elaborate… It's okay…"
The corners of Dean's lips pulled back into a small grin as he whispered, "Thanks Lay."
We all sat there silently and avoided meeting each other's eyes. None of us knew what to say now that their trip appeared to be an untouchable topic. They both looked beyond worn out, but neither of them made a move to head to their rooms.
I twisted the cap on the bottle and picked up the two glasses telling them, "Well it's late and you boys must be tired from travelling 150 years, give or take… You should head up and get some rest too."
Sam smile then answered through a yawn, "Yeah, I think you're right. Good night guys."
Dean met me over at the sink to make sure that I wasn't going to start a second load of dishes. He kissed my cheek and then took my hand to lead me out of the room saying, "You must be tired too… Come on, bed time."
I slipped my hand out of his grasp then wrapped my arm around his waist. "Yeah… You're right…Taking care of you guys absolutely exhausts me."
He finally seemed to relax a bit by the time we made it to the bedroom, so I figured that I wouldn't incur too much of his wrath if I attempted teasing him right now.
"So… It couldn't have really been that bad there…"
Dean finished hanging up his vest then turned and quirked an eyebrow as a silent response.
"What?" I continued with mock innocence as I brushed my hair. "All I meant was that you got to make out with my Great Great Grandmother and all… That couldn't have sucked."
My comment caught Dean so off guard that he actually dropped his boot on the floor. I ran my fingers through his hair trying to soothe away the guilt ridden look on his face once I was standing in front of him. He slowly released his death grip on the mattress he was sitting on and place a tentative hand on each of my hip bones.
"How… How'd you know?"
I gently massaged his scalp as I explained, "Bobby and I found all of my family's journals… Going back for I don't even know how many generations… Great Great Grandma Victoria wrote about you in hers…"
"Really?" He pulled me closer and slipped his hands into my back pockets. "And what'd she have to say about me?"
I kneeled over his lap, kissed him a couple of times then replied, "Maybe if you're really nice to me, I'll let you read it for yourself."
Dean laid back on the bed then pulled me down on top of him. I giggled softly against his lips and he squeezed his arms around me to make sure that I stayed as close to him as possible. Then he rolled us over and pushed up on the mattress to look down at me.
After he placed his lips beside my ear, he whispered, "I'm going to be so unbelievably 'nice' to you that you'll want to read that journal to me as a bedtime story."
Dean then went back to covering my neck with warm kisses to force me to relax even more. Once his mouth reached mine, I stretched my left hand out and struggled slightly to grab something that was on the bed. I tried to keep him from noticing, but that prove to be too difficult and Dean sat back with a perplexed look on his face.
Before he could question me, I held up the Stetson I was finally able to grasp and said, "I forgot to mention… You have to do it with the hat on."