It Doesn't Really Matter:

It was bordering on being too dark to go to the crime scene (hell I wasn't even sure that I would be able to find it in the dark on these unfamiliar streets), so I opted to check into a hotel instead. I wasn't quite sure what angle I was going to play for this job yet, so I was happy to take the extra time to plan. And if I had any good luck at all, maybe the front desk would have a map of Portland that didn't just lead to shopping malls or historical landmarks.

After I finished filling out the paperwork to check in, I tried testing the waters by nonchalantly saying, "So I heard on the radio about that ballerina…"

"Crazy, right?!" The clerk who couldn't be any older than nineteen replied, "My little sister was going to start studying there on Saturday, but now my mom's too freaked out to let her go there."

"Oh goodness that must be tough on your sister," I replied not believing my good fortune.

She rolled her eyes before saying, "Yeah she will not stop pestering our mom about it, but in all honesty I'm actually with my mom on this one. I don't know what actually happened but it's so not normal."

From there the hotel worker continued on about how she understood her parents' concerns and how ungrateful her sister was being. It took more than a few verbal maneuvers to get her back on track about the incident instead of the insanity of her family without rousing her suspicions, but I managed it. By the time I was hauling my luggage to my room I not only had perfect directions to the dance center, I now had a great cover story that meant that I wouldn't have to impersonate an officer of the law. Instead now I was just going to play the part of an overly protective mother that didn't want her child to be traumatized by the horrific event that had happened who was checking the place out in person before starting enrollment.

Even though I had spent over a year playing the role of 'Mum' to Toby intimately with his biological father, I really wasn't sure how easy it was going to be to pull this off. Since it was too late to head out there tonight I figured I could use the extra time to mentally prepare for my role. I had saved practically every email Toby had sent me over the years so I figured that I could use them for inspiration. My Mum had always said that I was a great 'method' actress, but to me it was just another part of the job. I was constantly needing to transform myself into being different people and it made perfect sense to me that it was easier for me to pretend to be someone else if I could relate to the persona I was creating.

Before I could stop myself I heard my phone ringing through to the number I had dialed. I stole a glance at the clock radio beside my bed for the night, did some quick math in my head and nearly hung up the phone when I heard a groggy, "Addy? Hey… Did you make it to Oregon okay?"

Stupid… Stupid… I thought to myself as I sat down on the bed. "Yeah, yeah I did. But I got here a lot later than I thought I would."

"I was going to call to warn you about that accident outside of Salem," he replied sounding more alert now. "But I figured that by the time I saw it that you'd be stuck in it so it would be like pointing out the obvious and I didn't want to annoy you."

I chuckled softly and didn't lose the humor in my tone when I responded, "Annoy me? Buddy I would have welcomed the friendly voice in my ear as I inched along the freeway, but no worries I'm here now. And at least you knew why I'd be late to check in with you tonight."

"Yeah, that's true. So what have you found out? What do you think it is? Has anyone else died? I haven't seen anything else, but that doesn't necessarily mean that there hasn't been another weird death, right? And…"

"Right," I jumped in before I lost him to his racing thoughts. "That's all true Tobs, but I haven't been able to get to the dance studio or the cop shop yet, so…"

I heard him sigh then he finished my sentence for me. "So we'll know more tomorrow after you've been able to visit both places."

"Exactly. But it's pretty late Buddy, I shouldn't keep you up."

Toby let out a soft laugh as he said, "Oh no you're not keeping me up, my Spanish homework is actually putting me to sleep so I should be thanking you for calling and give me an excuse to take a break from it."

"Oh… Well in that case, you're very welcome," I replied with an amused tone. "And I should let you get back to work. I'll check-in with you tomorrow when I know anything new, okay?"

"Okay," he agreed with a mock begrudged grumble. "Make sure that you're careful… I hear that ballerinas can be pretty scary about their competitions…" He paused to share a loud laugh with me. "But seriously, take care. I love you Addy."

"I always try to Tobs. Love you too and I'll talk to ya tomorrow."

"¡Hasta mañana!"

I traded my phone for my laptop and then once again made myself comfortable on the bed. Toby made a good point when he mentioned the possibility of there being some other strange deaths since the ballerina was found. When dealing with the supernatural it was so rare that the death toll stayed at one that I couldn't think of a single job that I had worked where that was the case. The girl at the front desk hadn't mentioned any other anomalous deaths, so I focused my attention on finding the websites for any local papers or news radio channels after trying to find the local news on TV.

After navigating my way through more than three news centric websites, I found nothing else that looked like an unnatural death. If the dancer's was the only death then that might help direct me to what it was that I was hunting, so I made a quick list of my top ten 'suspects'. In an attempt to narrow down the list, I tried my hand at researching the ballerina's background online. I of course didn't have as good of hacking skills as Toby or Sam which meant that I only found generic articles about her many dance accomplishments.

"Nothing too salacious," I commented out loud. "Huh… Toby mentioned dancing being cut-throat and full of ruthless competitors… Could this be a case of jealousy and a spell going awry?"

I looked around the room then laughed nervously. When I was younger I had grown used to working on my own, but right now it felt kind of weird to talk out the problem aloud to an empty room. Up until very recently there had at least been the possibility of someone else being in the room to answer me and knowing those days had passed caused my heart to ache. But I just wrote those feelings off as my being rusty and possibly hungry since I hadn't stopped for dinner on my way into town.

Since I needed a break to regroup anyways, I decided to check out the pub I had noticed just down the block from the hotel. It seemed like an easy enough place to hide in a dark corner and go over everything that I had found out thus far. I was far too hungry and tired to be polite if anyone caught a glimpse of the subject matter in my notebook. The looks diner waitresses had given me in the past when that had happened always made me feel worse about doing the job. They were just innocent bystanders who didn't need me to burst their bubbles about the realities of life, so corner booth in a dimly lit bar quickly became my preference once I was old enough to frequent them without constantly being carded.

On my way out through the lobby, the front desk clerk had idly asked where I was heading out to for the night. She looked so bored on her perch despite all of the closed textbooks on the counter beside her. I pointedly let my eyes linger on her books when I answered that I was heading out to the pub for a bite to eat and something to drink to calm my nerves after my hectic commute.

She didn't even try to hide the fact that her eyes were following my gaze before she scoffed loudly and said, "I've finished all of my readings for the week…" The look in her eyes added the exasperated 'Mom' that was left unsaid. "And the last time I used my down time to read ahead, it didn't really go over well with my classmates, so yeah… Now I'm just bored."

"Oh…" I replied trying to conceal how giddy I felt that she had fallen for my stern, 'motherly' questioning look that I had directed at her classwork. "That can be a fine line to walk on. I'm guessing that you took down some notes already?" She nodded but was still eyeing me suspiciously. "Have you ever thought of jotting down some counter points to your own arguments? I mean your classmates already think that you're trying to be a brown-nosing teacher's pet, why not just do it with this week's readings instead of next weeks? Couldn't hurt to help to keep the discussion going in your tutorials, right?"

The university student's lips pulled back into a pensive smile as she quietly replied, "Yeah… That… Yeah that could work."

As I pushed against the metal handle on the glass door, I smiled at her over one of my shoulders adding, "Plus guys only pretend to like dumb chicks. Dazzle him with your ability to argue the points from all angles. If that doesn't impress him then he isn't worth your time or effort. At least in my humblest opinion he wouldn't be."

I caught a glimpse of a dark pink blush spreading across her cheeks as I finally exited the building. I had been more than happy to play the role of mentor to many a hunter's daughters and tried my best to set Toby on the right path, but I still didn't feel ready to be someone's actual, full-time mother. I even fought against the mentoring until it seemed like some of the dads might allow their daughters to venture out in the world without being one thousand percent sure that their offspring were capable of surviving on their own. After that revelation I started looking at that role as being less of a 'mother-surrogate' and more of an 'older sister' gig, which I was used to and comfortable with because of Toby. To my credit, that idea seemed to make being a hurdle that all of those kids had to go through was less painful for them and me and I now saw how it could work with civilians as well, especially on this job.

Despite my mild feelings of contentment at pull off my 'motherly stare' so well, I tried to refocus my thoughts solely on the job that had brought me to Portland. The way the ballerina had literally danced her feet off was obviously anything but natural. My job now was to figure out what could cause her feet to turn into ground beef while her shoes remained in pristine condition.

Okay so your daughter is everyone's main competition… And she's crushing them… Huh… Remember that job you worked with Mum and Fraser showed up? I thought to myself feeling somewhat happy as I continued towards the pub. Okay Addy… Just focus on…

Before I could finish my thought, my right arm was being pulled with enough force to pop my shoulder out of its joint. It took me a couple of steps to find my footing but my balance didn't last long. As soon as my companion felt confident that we couldn't be seen from the sidewalk, he slammed me face first against the wall of the pub.

A few expletives slipped past my lips as my right arm got wrenched up my back at an unnatural and painful angle between our bodies. My attacker seemed to be able to read my mind because he rammed his hip into the small of my back just before he forced my legs apart to press them against the wall so that I couldn't kick at him like I had planned. I continued to struggle against his grasp, but I couldn't quite get a hold of the wall with my left hand to push against the building because of the way he kept pressing my body against my trapped limb to ensure that it was rendered useless.

"Look if you want my bag just fucking take it," I gritted out trying not to let the pain I was feeling to show in my voice.

He let out a cruel laugh then said against my ear, "You'd consider yourself lucky if that's all I wanted from you Ad-de-laid."

His voice was instantly familiar so I went completely limp in his arms. I was secure enough in my abilities to admit that if he got the jump on me like this that I wasn't going to win once he got me in this position, so I was willing to wait for an opening. "Fuck Trev… You…"

"Mmm… That is definitely an interesting proposition," Trevor said over my words. He bunched up my hair in a crude ponytail with his free hand and used it to pull my head back to bare my neck to him. "Maybe you'll get lucky enough to find out what it feels like to be bent over and laid by a real man."

He tightened his grip on my hair to pull my head back even further causing me to let out a pain filled gasp before replying with a strained voice, "Perfect… Let me know when you find a real man to do that."

"Bitch!" He hissed out as he threw my head towards the building. He then snaked his hand between my body and the wall without letting up any pressure on my back. When he felt me try to move my left hand to stop him from opening the fly of my jeans, he pulled up on my right arm even further up my back. "I owe you for what you did to me."

"Jesus Trevor that was…" I started to say with genuine exasperation when we heard someone walk up behind us.

"I suggest you let the lady go and step away from her," the newcomer ordered in an even, steady tone.

Trevor twisted his head to look over his shoulder and replied, "And I suggest that you fuck off and mind your own fucking business."

I heard the other man sigh loudly and almost thought that he was going to walk away until I felt Trevor tense up behind me. "I really didn't want it to come down to this, but… Step away from the woman and place your hands on your head." To my surprise Trevor complied with his wishes and then I heard, "I'm placing you under arrest for…"

Trevor took a couple of steps from me and when I turned around I found a clean cut white male with sort dark hair and dressed in jeans and a t-shirt holding a gun out in a practiced stance. He motioned with his gun for Trevor to go to his knees as he continued to recite the rights that Trevor would maintain even while detained. I instinctively cradled my right arm close to my chest as I stepped closer to the two males and listened in a shocked silence.

The officer exchanged his gun for a pair of hand cuffs with an expert ease while he continued talking. As he pulled Trevor's right hand off his head, I made eye contact with the man who was on his knees. I nearly abandoned my course of action when I felt the full weight of Trevor's angry glare. He had gotten himself into the position of getting cuffed and hauled off to jail all on his own and yet he was glaring at me as if it was all my fault.

"Officer? I… I don't want to press charges," I called out softly without letting my eyes wander from Trevor's intense gaze.

Both men stared at me with their mouths hanging open, so I cautiously approached them explaining, "It really wasn't what it looked like Officer and really I'm totally fine. It was all just a misunderstanding."

"Misunderstanding? So now friends assault each other by throwing the other up against a wall and then fake that they're going to sexually assault one another?" He questioned without making any moves to free Trevor at all.

Trevor and I barked out a quick laugh causing the police officer to look even more confused. "No Officer we aren't friends," I replied before Trevor could open his mouth and screw this up even worse. "We're in the same line of work and are more like rivals… And well… Some of us aren't sore losers when they don't come out on top."

Now I had both of them glaring at me, but the officer did release the other hunter from his cuffs. Trevor stood up without accepting the hand offered to him by the other man and looked like he had to restrain himself from stepping closer to me. I watched him with a keen eye and tried not to wince from the pain radiating from my shoulder because I didn't want to give him that satisfaction.

The policeman looked between us and then seemed to make a decision about something. While he stuffed his handcuffs into a holder at the left side of his back he calmly said, "Well Mister…"

He gave Trevor a pointed look to which the hunter replied, "Smith."

"Right… Mister Smith," the officer continued not sounding like he believed the hunter. "I think it would be best for you to leave whatever job has you both here to this young lady to finish on her own… And it would probably be in your best interest if you headed out to your next job tonight."

Trevor didn't take his eyes off of me as he nodded and replied sounding just as angry as he had been before the police officer's intervention, "Yes sir that sounds like good advice." He then took a step closer to me and pointed an accusing finger at me nearly growling as he spoke, "This isn't close to being over, I still owe you for…"

"Seriously dude?" The officer called out over the rest of Trevor's statement and losing all of the authoritativeness from his tone. When he continued to speak he sound more like someone close to my age (which he also looked like he was) instead of a parent scolding a child. "I let you go without so much as a warning and now you're going to threaten the lady right in front of me? Are you seriously that dense or do you really want to spend the night in jail that badly?"

Trevor's eyes narrowed and his lips fell into an angry line. "No sir… And she ain't no fucking lady."

With that last remark the hunter turned and walked towards the parking lot. Now that he was gone, I tested out my right arm and didn't worry about how I reacted to the pain I felt. The pain was pretty intense but I couldn't really tell if it was just a pulled muscle, a dislocated shoulder or if it was something else entirely.

Since my attention was focused on my arm, I actually jumped when I felt a hand grasp my left shoulder and heard, "Are you sure that I shouldn't follow him and lock him up?"

I gave him a soft smile as I replied, "He's an insufferable dick, but no I haven't changed my mind. But… And I know I'm probably pressing my luck here… Could I bother you to do me another favor?"

"Well I wouldn't be much of a gentleman if I denied a lady's request for assistance."

I tried my hardest not to laugh but I couldn't help it and let a quick chuckle tumble out of my mouth. "You may be a gentleman, but he wasn't lying to you when he said that I wasn't a lady."

My response earned me an indifferent shrug as he replied, "Either way, what can I do to help you?"

I turned so that my back was facing him and then reached my right hand back to him saying, "I can't tell if he dislocated my shoulder or not… Could you…? Umm…?"

He took my hand in both of his and immediately started moving my arm up and down before I finished my question. While he almost duplicated the hold Trevor had placed me in, he leaned in to quietly say into my ear almost seductively, "Make sure to let me know if I'm hurting you too much. I wouldn't…"

Suddenly the policeman was ripped away from my back and I could hear a bit of a commotion behind me. I once again cradled my arm to my chest even though the pain I was feeling wasn't as severe as it had been before. It took a few moments for my mind to catch up with the fact that the officer might be in trouble because I was so relieved that the pain was fading already which meant that the injury truly wasn't as bad as it could have been.

When I finally did turn around what I saw shocked me into silence and froze me in my place. Dean had the officer up against the wall with his left forearm pressed against the other man's throat. I could see Dean's mouth moving but I couldn't hear a word that he was saying. I was so out of it that I didn't even notice Sam standing beside Dean as his back up.

Once Sam was certain that Dean had my 'attacker' under control he walked over to my side. Sam then placed a soft hand on my left shoulder as he asked, "Hey Addy are you okay?"

"Yeah," I replied automatically. "I'm fine…" I finally forced my eyes up to the taller man's face causing me to more clearly shout, "Sam! Shit!"

I ran the short distance that separated me from Dean and the police officer. Without even thinking about the damage that had just been inflicted on my shoulder, I latched both of my hands onto Dean's shoulders and pulled him back yelling, "What the fuck are you doing you psycho?"

"He… I… You were…" Dean struggled to explain through his confusion when I kept my attention on the man he had 'rescued' me from just a moment ago.

Sam stepped up beside his brother and watched me for a couple of breaths before answering, "We were keeping him from robbing you or worse."

I was finally convince that my actual savior was alright, so I turned to face the Winchesters as I angrily shot back, "He wasn't hurting me you dipshits! He was checking on the damage Trevor caused when HE tried to… Whatever… He saved me from a douchebag because he's a COP for fuck's sake!"

Dean and Sam shifted their gaze from me to the man behind me. He quickly took the hint that they didn't really believe me so he pulled out his wallet to show them his badge. You could see the muscles in both of the brothers' bodies relax which actually caused my blood to boil. The three of us had been through enough together that they should have known I could handle myself and yet here they were acting like I'd never been in a fight before now.

"See? I'm fine! I don't need you two swooping in to be my knights in shining armor," I continued with my rage dripping off each word.

"Hey! Lay it looked like…" Dean tried to defend their actions with his hands held up in surrender.

"Looked like what? Like I'm some helpless bimbo that can't take care of herself?" I moved to take a step forward but was stopped by a gentle hand being placed on my forearm. I turned to face the owner of the hand and felt mildly guilty that I had forgotten that the third man was still with us. I partially turned towards him to apologetically say, "Sorry Officer, but would you mind giving my… Umm us a minute alone?"

"More 'coworkers'?" He questioned with a wink.

I shook my head but couldn't help smiling as I replied, "Not exactly…"

He returned my smile then said, "I'll wait over there just in case."

"Thanks," I whispered before turning back to face the Winchesters. I nodded to a spot a few feet away and didn't wait for them to follow me. As we walked away from the police officer I continued my enraged tirade in a lower voice, "What the fuck is wrong with you two?"

Dean just huffed and clenched his jaw tightly in response, but Sam was quick to defensively reply, "Addy I swear it looked like he was trying to hurt you. I… We really didn't mean to offend you… And how were we to know he was a cop?"

Sam of course used his patented 'puppy dog' eyes on me and it did what it had always done, melted my heart because he was being so genuine and it forced me to concede to myself that he had a point. I let out a soft sigh then more civilly said (while making sure to only look up at Sam), "And thank you… Both of you for stepping in to help me when you thought I was in deep trouble… But as you can see I'm bewdy… I mean, I'm good."

Dean just gritted his teeth and shook his head before stalking over towards the front door of the bar. Sam watched his brother then took a hold of my upper arm saying, "You know we… Well I'll help you anytime you need me just like I told you before, right? I really did mean it when I said it Addy."

"Thanks Sam… And make sure you don't lose my number either, okay?" He nodded with a tight smile on his face. It broke my heart a little to see Sam this uncertain, so I went up on my tiptoes to kiss his cheek then let some humor slip into my tone as I said, "But you should probably catch up with your brother to keep him out of trouble."

Once again Sam pulled his lips back in a small smile replying, "Yeah, you're probably right."

I squeezed his hand, but didn't try to stop him when he followed Dean's path into the building. I then took in a deep bracing breath to try to center myself before turning back towards the police officer. I wasn't sure how he would react to or interpret my current situation, but I knew that I couldn't hide from it. Me being some sort of freak that went from fighting with someone to being rescued out of the blue by people that I wasn't certain how I felt about them was completely new to me so I couldn't even fathom how an officer of the law would see it.

When our eyes met he smiled warmly then said, "So they were family?"

"Sort of," I replied feeling kind of apprehensive. "He…? He didn't hurt you too badly did he? Because I swear that he would NEVER hurt a police officer unless it was absolutely necessary to save someone's life or something. Please don't arrest him for Assault P.O., please?"

He let out a soft chuckle then replied, "Really two guys throw two different people against the same wall and you don't want either of them to go before a judge?"

"I didn't… I mean I don't… I can…" I tried to defend myself.

"Hey it's okay. So… Teasing…? Not a good way to flirt with you… Consider that filed away," he cut in over my self-deprecating commentary. "Let me try a different tactic then… I remember reading somewhere that a true gentleman is supposed to buy the damsel in distress a drink to help calm her nerves."

I fought my first instinct of showing him how offended I felt by being called a 'damsel in distress' and laughed softly at how ridiculous I felt right now. I then hooked my arm through his bent elbow saying, "Well this not quite a lady won't stop you from fulfilling that duty. Why don't we find us a table inside?"

We walked into the pub arm in arm and somehow my eyes instantly found the Winchester brothers. Dean quickly diverted his gaze to the glass of some amber colored liquor in front of him, but Sam let his eyes meet mine straight on. I had poured my heart and soul out to him over the phone when he called to tell me that he had shot and killed his niece, so I was more than happy to have someone to help me keep upright when my eyes met Sam's. When my gaze didn't waver, Sam also cast his eyes to the glass of alcohol he was holding.

"You still okay?" The man on my left asked after leaning in to say it into my ear.

I slipped onto a seat with my back facing the Winchester brothers and gave my companion a grateful smile. "Yeah I'll be alright," I finally replied. "But not gonna lie, I'm so hungry I could eat a horse and chase the jockey, so I'd really like to order as soon as humanly possible."

"Ask and ye shall receive," he replied as he dramatically threw his right hand up into the air to call over one of the servers.

I gave him a playfully skeptic look because of his confidence, but then I suddenly felt someone standing behind me to one side. "Hey sorry to make you wait. What can I get you tonight?" A perky female server asked.

My companion nodded in my direction so I quickly said, "Can I get a BLT on whole wheat and a pint of whatever draft you have on tap?"

"Of course," she confirmed before turning to the man sitting across the table from me. "And what can I get for you tonight?"

"Just the usual and the same beer as my lovely meal-mate, thanks."

After the server was far from earshot I turned to make a teasing comment but was stopped by a male around our age that looked like a perfect prototype for a 'cop' calling out, "Tempe! Dude we're all over there." He pointed over his shoulder to a boisterous group in a corner alcove as he continued on to the men's room.

"Tempe?" I questioned with a large, overly amused grin on my face. "Is that like for Tempe, Arizona?"

He laughed loudly and shook his head vigorously replying, "No… No my parents weren't lame enough to name me after a city or anything like celebrities like to do nowadays … It's just a shortened version of my surname, Templeton. They do something like that to everyone at work so that they have a nickname. My first name is Josh… Well Joshua." He threw me a beguiling smile then asked, "And you…? My not so damsel in distress…? You would be…?"

"Oh! Sorry, I'm Addy," I answered before adding with a mock annoyed tone. "But my full name is Adelaide. My Mum was pretty sentimental and named me after her favorite city in Australia."

My companion's face dropped at my response but before he could try to make an ungraceful retreat I grabbed his hand that was resting on the table and quickly added, "Hey! Whoa! I was just teasing you… But that is the truth. My name is Adelaide Jones, but everyone calls me Addy. I could give you my D.O.B so that you can call my details into your dispatch to verify it all."

He still looked like he was going to be sick so I tried a different approach to let him know I wasn't offended by his joke, "So…? Josh what are the rules for a 'lady' buying a true gentleman a drink after her psycho ex-boyfriend tried to pick a fight with him?"

He finally relaxed under my grasp then answered, "Hmm… Let me think." He took a moment to dramatically look at the ceiling before adding, "I seem to recall there being a clause that allows that without penalties."

I perked up as my smile spread wider across my face as I said, "Perfect, so that means that the next round is on me."

Our drinks had arrived by that time, so I raised my glass and waited for him to knock his glass against mine. Since it was bad luck not to take a drink after a toast, I took a long swallow from my pint of beer. I could feel Josh watching me with a cop's assessing eye, but I didn't get a chance to acknowledge it because my food had arrived. My pint glass nearly shattered under the force of me slamming it to the table top so that I could dig into my meal.

While I started to demolish the first half of my BLT, Josh calmly stabbed at his salad and laughed quietly to himself. "Whaf?" I ask with my mouth still partially full. I swallowed the food in my mouth I then said, "Hey you can't say that I didn't warn you that I was hungry. You're more than welcome to look away if it offends you at all."

He actually pulled the forkful of food he was about to put in his mouth away from his lips to say, "Oh no Addy, I'm not offended in the least… Actually I'm pretty relieved to be eating with a woman who isn't afraid to show her appetite. Most of my first dates peck at their food like they're birds or something when the whole restaurant can hear their stomach growling, so this is quite refreshing." I quirked an intrigued eyebrow as I continued to devour my sandwich. He swallowed thickly then nervously said, "Not that… I mean we just met so… You know…? It's not like THIS is a date or anything… I was just saying…"

I smiled and suppressed my urge to laugh replying, "Well I guess that's why it doesn't bother me that I finished my sandwich in six bites… Since this isn't a date and all."

"You… Unnerve me Addy Jones… And there aren't many people that have been able to do that," he said with a faint smile and a shrug.

I watched him eat for a bit before I answered in a sincere tone, "That's just because you haven't really gotten to know me." I paused to signal to our waitress that we were ready for another round of drinks. "And Constable Templeton I think the only way to remedy that is by you asking me the questions that are preoccupying your thoughts so that we can put your mind at ease."

A sly smile spread across Josh's face as he replied, "Actually I'm a Corporal. I went to the academy straight out of high school." We both took a drink from the beers that had been placed beside us then Josh furrowed his brow and asked, "So that guy over there…? He's your…?"

"Ex-boyfriend," I answered a little too quickly for it not to sound like I was nervous.

He massaged his throat then questioned, "Ex…? Okay. Umm… Is he aware of this relationship status?"

"Pretty sure he is since he knocked up a one night stand a couple of weeks ago," I said to my plate of fries as I pick one up. Almost as soon as I had it lifted off my plate, I threw it back down and looked up at the chagrinned look on the man's face sitting across from me. "Hey no worries Josh… We were pretty much broken up by then, so it was just the last nail in the coffin."

"Oh…? Wow… Wow… But I honestly can't say that you see many ex-boyfriends that will ride in like Sir Galahad to rescue a woman they've dumped."

I took a long drink and then smirked before playfully countering, "Who says that he was the 'dumper' and not the 'dumpee'?" Josh blushed but before he could attempt to apologize I distractedly added, "But I think the real reason he'd do it is Toby."

"Toby? Is he the guy sitting across from Mister 'Not My Boyfriend'?"

"No," I answered while shaking my head to gain some more clarity. "He's our son that my Aunt and Uncle raised." I stopped there when I felt my own cheeks start to heat up. "Shit… Talk about an overshare."

He gave me a sympathetic smile then said, "Well since this isn't a date there's no such thing as an 'overshare', right? But I noticed that you used the past tense about your boy. Mind me asking why you would do that?"

"Oh… Well I guess it's because ever since his fourteenth birthday he seems to be more of an adult than me at times." I could see Josh trying to do the math in his head so I made sure to clarify, "I got pregnant my senior year of high school, hence the adoption."

"Really? So you two have been together since you were teenagers?" He asked with his eyes widening slightly in surprise.

I gave him a tight smile then said, "Not exactly. We had broken up by the time I finished high school, but we reconnected a few years ago while working on the same job a little while ago."

"Oh… Okay," he replied still sounding confused but not pressing for any further details. "So you work beside some pretty tough looking guys… Let me guess, you're a bounty hunter?"

The mouthful of beer I was trying to swallow nearly ended up sprayed across the table but I somehow managed to choke it down. While I caught my breath I was off Josh's offers to assist me. He remained in his seat and made a thoughtful noise then said, "Okay so you obviously aren't a bounty hunter… Okay… Hmm…" He stole a glance at the Winchesters then commented, "Well you're too pretty and easy to talk to for you to be a Fed…"

"Actually I'm a…" I blurted out trying to answer his question.

He silenced me by raising a hand as he said, "No… No, let me guess…" He was still looking over my shoulder as he said, "They definitely look like they're cops, but I've never seen them before so I'm thinking they're probably FBI…" He moved his eyes slowly back to my face to make direct eye contact. "And you work a lot of the same jobs as them…? I'm going to have to say that that must make you a… Private Investigator?"

"Yeah… Yeah I am," I answered quickly, almost certain that my nervousness didn't show.

"And I'm guessing that your 'not a friend' from earlier tonight is a P.I. too?"

I relaxed in my seat as I sighed and replied, "Yeah, yeah he is… The old school kind who thinks that a woman's place is in the kitchen and not out in the field."

Josh held up his glass as he toasted, "For you to have a macho guy like that seeing red just by seeing you working the same job must mean you're doing something right."

A huge smile lit up my face at his genuine compliment and clinked my glass against the one he offered over the table. "Yeah I guess it does." I couldn't help but notice that his eyes were wondering back in the direction of the Winchesters. "So I don't think that it's very lady like to monopolize the conversation… So CORPORAL Joshua Templeton, Tempe to his brothers in blue, why don't you tell me a little bit more about you?"

His eyes sparkled as a sly smile spread across his face. He ordered another round of drinks and told me about his family while we waited for them to be delivered. It turned out that he and I had more in common than I could have ever imagined. He had known that he was going to become a police officer at a very young age because he wanted to follow in his father's footsteps. That made him the fifth generation of Templeton men to don a police uniform.

Although Josh had a younger sister, he too had lost both of his parents and sometimes felt like a an orphan too. First was his father to a heart attack and more recently it was his mother to cancer. He was in the middle of telling me about how it had taken losing their parents for him and his sister to have any semblance of a relationship when I caught a glimpse of the Winchester brothers leaving the bar. At the door Sam turned and caught my eye. I wasn't sure how I should interpret the look on his face, but after he had turned to leave I definitely did feel angry about the ball of guilt that started to form deep in my gut.

Theoretically there was nothing wrong with me chatting about our lives with someone over drinks and yet the look on Sam's face almost made me feel like I was doing something that I should be ashamed of doing. But how dare he judge me? Even though we were sharing a few pints, how did he know that I wasn't getting some useful information out of this boy in blue? Granted I wasn't, but was there really anything wrong with me finding some companionship with another human being? It wasn't like I was throwing him down, ripping his clothes off and fucking him in the middle of the bar or anything.

Josh stole a glance over his shoulder before turning back to me asking, "Are you sure that it was a coffin that nail went into?"

"What?" I distractedly asked more out of habit than actual thought. The tone of my voice forced me to look up into his face and I suddenly realized that I couldn't remember the last thing that I had actually heard him saying. I gave him an apologetic look as I said, "I'm so sorry Josh, but I think I missed that. Would you mind repeating what you just asked?"

He had a mildly sad look in his eyes as he replied, "I was just noticing how you were watching 'not my boyfriend' there… Are you sure that you've closed and dead bolted the door on that one?"

The vivid image of the last time I had seen the eldest Winchester popped into my head because the police officer's analogy described that seen to utter perfection. I shook my head then forced myself to nod as I responded, "We won't be getting back together but… Well… This is the first time that I've seen him since… Well the first time in a while, so I'm still sort of processing, you know?"

"Not completely, but I think I understand where you're coming from," he offered with the barest hint of sadness. "So are you up for another round?"

That little ball of guilt that had tried to form at seeing Sam's face was so big now that I could barely speak. I shook my head gently and vaguely heard the man across from me ask our server for our bill. I was still trying to find my voice to thank him so I reached across the table to hold his hand. He turned his eyes back to my face and the look he gave me helped me to regain my control over myself.

He didn't really know me and I really didn't owe him anything and yet I wanted so badly to be completely honest with him. If I was a different person who was raised into a different way of life, I felt like our meeting could have led to something more profound causing me to very honestly reply, "I'm sorry Josh, you're meeting me during a really weird time, but I am so grateful to have met you. You absolutely saved my ass tonight and it was really nice having a great meal and conversation with a genuine gentleman… I didn't think any of you existed anymore."

Our server placed the bill on our table and made a hasty retreat when she saw the serious looks on our faces. I moved to pick up the folder to see what my portion of the tab would be, but Josh pulled it closer to himself before I had the chance. My confused scowl only deepened when he opened the booklet, slipped in a few bills from his wallet and gave me a satisfied smile.

"Josh, I…"

He shook his head then said, "Consider it my treat to help you mend a broken heart." My jaw dropped as he added, "Hey just because you know it's over doesn't mean that it still won't hurt when you see them. Believe me, I completely understand that feeling."

After he had settled our tab, I couldn't stop myself before I wrapped my arms around him sincerely saying, "I wish I could have met you under different circumstances."

I felt his laugh more than I heard it. I expected him to push out of my embrace before he spoke but I instead felt him squeeze my torso as he replied, "Or maybe you met me exactly when you needed to Addy Jones."

Every muscle in my body went rigid for a split second because he sounded so much like the angel that the Winchesters had brought into my life. I looked up into his face for any possible telltale signs of celestial intervention, but all I was met with the same easy smile that he had been giving me all night. As my own relieved smile spread across my face I realized that I really didn't care if he was a human or an angel because he truly had given me what I had needed tonight; good food and good conversation.

"Thank you," I finally said just over a whisper as I released him from my hold. "And yeah, you might have a point… But… I should get going so that I can attempt to get some sleep tonight."

Josh's hand slid down my arm until it was tucked comfortably against my palm. He anticipated my quizzical gaze because he quickly said, "After how we first met, you didn't really think that I wasn't going to make sure that I got you home safely now did you? Or… well at least as far as I can get you."

I laughed despite myself and shifted his hold so that my arm was linked with his just like it was when we first walked into this room. "Well my hotel is just down the block…"

"Perfect," he cut in. "Now why don't we get you 'home'?"

During the short walk back to my room we continued our light-hearted, comfortable teasing commentary. He truly did turn out to be a gentleman because he stopped to say goodnight outside of the lobby's doors and he didn't try to do anything more than kiss me, almost chastely, on the cheek. I wanted to offer him so much more than a peck on the cheek to show him my gratitude, but I didn't because I could have almost sworn that I could feel someone watching us.

"Remember to let me know if I can help you with anything… I know that the P.I. badge can only get you so far and all," he said once he was standing upright and looking down at me.

I took a large step back so I could see his face more easily then replied, "I promise I'll call if I need anything. Thanks again Josh."

He nodded then turned and walked back towards the Pub where we had met. I still felt eyes watching me, so I stepped to the left side of the lobby doors towards the darkness and sighed out, "Hey Sam… Long time no see."

Sam stepped out into the light and the look on his face cause me to almost angrily add, "He saved me from a hunter that wanted to rape me, so I let him buy me dinner when he offered… I wasn't planning on sleeping with him… God Sam don't fucking judge me for accepting a free meal and good conversation."

The younger male looked down at me like he was beyond affronted by my anger and said in a confused tone, "Addy I… I wasn't… I didn't…"

I searched his face and saw nothing but genuine confusion causing me to more humbly say, "Okay… Sorry maybe you weren't… But… Uh… Well then why are you lurking in the shadows watching him walk me back to my room?"

My question caused Sam to snort out a laugh before answering, "I wasn't 'lurking' Addy. I was heading out to find some coffee and didn't want to interrupt your goodnight kiss with him."

"Oh…" I replied feeling beyond stupid and self-centered. We were now standing in front of the glass doorway that led to the lobby which meant that I could see his face more clearly. I had only spent a brief period of time with him after Castiel had breach the dam in his head, but it didn't take a genius to recognize the signs of sleeplessness that I assumed came from things getting worse for him. I stepped closer to him so that I could hold his cheeks and as I ran my thumbs under his eyes I said with a bit of a hitch in my throat, "No offense Sam… (I almost let out a teasing 'Sammy' but managed to restrain myself) but you look like shit. Are you sure you shouldn't be trying to go to sleep instead of pumping more caffeine into your system?"

He scoffed and unconsciously rolled his eyes so I apologetically jumped in asking, "Shit… Shit! He… Lucifer… He's keeping you up at night now?"

Sam gave me a weary smile as he answered, "All of his efforts to be as annoying as possible…? Yeah they're all working now."

"Sam…" I said forlornly as I instinctively picked up his left hand in both of mine. I ran my thumbs over the prominent scar on his palm saying, "I know all of this has been really hard on you, so if you want I can ask Toby to focus on trying to find a way to fix this for you."

With an uncomfortable chuckle Sam answered, "And you'd get him to look up what? 'How to heal a soul that the Devil and his brother had fun torturing for over a year'? Yeah… I'm not sure that Toby would be able to find any answers for that."

"True, it isn't completely straightforward," I countered gently. "But I've learned to never underestimate what your nephew can find, so it couldn't really hurt to put him on the case because… Well Sam…? You and your brother need each other more than ever now… Which mean you need to be as well rested as possible."

Sam smiled then replied, "Yeah that could help, but do you know what else would do that?" I shook my head with my eyes laser focused on his palm because I was sure that he was going to make yet another comment about me getting back together with his brother. "He always feels better after finishing a job."

"Job?" I asked with a fake tone of misunderstanding. "There's a job here that you guys are working on?"

The look on Sam's face conveyed nothing but disbelief, but his voice sounded genuine when he replied, "Yeah there is and it looks like we've got some cursed objects floating around town. But don't tell me that the ballerina's death didn't draw you here too."

I shook my head then somewhat convincingly replied, "No I can't say that I've heard anything about that. I was actually just making a pit stop here on my way to another job."

Sam raised a quizzical brow before he asked without hiding any of his suspicion, "Really? And what 'job' it that you're heading off to Addy?"

He was baiting me; I knew that he was so I tried to keep my own irritation from showing when I answered, "One of Mum's old contacts got a hold of me… He's had some trouble with a spirit just outside of Vancouver." Sam's face turned from skeptical to quizzical so I more soberly continued, "There's an old train station that was turned into a restaurant in a city older than Vancouver, British Columbia. The city decided to do some major construction this year and the spirit doesn't seem to be too impressed with the changes they're making."

"Canada?" He questioned in awe. "You're heading to a job in Canada?"

I grasped both of his hands in mine and squeezed them tightly replying, "Yes Sam I am. Sorry but some of us aren't as adverse to crossing the border as some others. (Dean's name went unstated.) But that being said…" Sam's eyes went wide before I finished, "Corporal Templeton would be more than happy to help you two FBI Agents if you have any problems with the local PD."

I paused at the grateful look Sam gave me, but neither of us commented on my obvious acknowledgment that I hadn't been completely honest. He leaned down to scoop me up into a tight hug as he replied, "Wow… Thanks Addy. That definitely should make things that much easier for us."

I pressed my fingertips of each finger on both of Sam's temples saying, "Everything but what's going on in here. Sam I'll do what I can to help fix this because you've more than suffered enough already."

Sam smiled and kissed my cheek before quietly saying, "Thanks Addy. On the off chance that you do find something, you know where to find me."

I bit my lip hard then tried to sound amused when I commented, "Yeah it's a lot harder to dodge you guys when you keep switching cars so often."

Sam laughed softly then agreed, "That's true…" He started walk away from me but stopped to playfully call over his shoulder, "Lucky for me though because I really don't want to avoid seeing you."

I felt tears prickling in my eyes as I turned and entered the hotel. Once I was in my room I practically passed out on my bed. The fatigue of the day hit me harder than I thought it would and I fell asleep fully clothed on top of the comforter of my bed.

When I woke up hours later I saw the calls I'd missed from Toby and opted to take the coward's way out and typed a text message on my Blackberry.

Hey Buddy! Some other hunters have this one in the bag… I'm going to head north to take care of that ghost at the restaurant I told you about… I'll call you once I hit Canadian soil. Love you!