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Sam was the first one into the bathroom since he had already been standing. He glanced around and his gaze landed on Adriana who was huddled in a corner, almost shaking. She didn't scare easily because of the life she had grown up in, but something had definitely terrified her.
"Drie! What's wrong?" Sam asked as he hurried over to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, his watch touching her bare arm. Adriana looked up and glanced at his watch. She let out another, terrified blood-curdling scream and shied away from Sam."Drie. It's me, Sam," he said.
She hid her face in her arms, not saying a word. Sam tried to help her up but she wouldn't budge. He motioned to Dean to help him and Dean hurried over. Athena stood shocked in the doorway. Together, the two men lifted her, causing her hands to fall from her eyes. She glanced at the mirror as she left and screamed again, this time screaming words.
"I can see her!"
"Who?" Dean asked as he sat beside the blonde on her bed. "What happened?" His voice was softer than he normally ever had it in his attempts to calm her down.
"Bloody Mary..." She said quietly, whimpering. "I saw her..."
Sam glanced at Dean. He had never seen her this terrified in any of the hunts they had gone on as kids. She was shaking, and neither of them knew what to do or say, but Athena spoke up from behind them, confused. "Wait, this Bloody Mary thing isn't real," She said, stepping towards them. "I mean, you guys are playing a prank on me, trying to get me to believe you."
"Athena. I am being serious. Grab a towel and bring it here." Athena stood hands on her hips ignoring him. Unnoticed to them both, Adriana's hands had dropped again and she gasped for breath. A small trickle of blood leaked out of each eye before Sam elbowed the mirror, smashing it. "Athena, NOW!" Dean yelled. Athena sprinted to the bedroom and grabbed a towel, lobbing it at Dean, who wrapped it around Adriana's head. "Drie. She can't get you. C'mon," he said, helping her up. This time, Adriana let herself be pulled up and they moved her onto the bed. "Sam, anything reflective in here, pull it down." Sam took photos off walls and hid lamps under beds. As he re-approached Adriana he noticed light bouncing off his watch, and chucked it in his pocket. He nodded at Dean. "Adriana. You can come out now."
Adriana shakily removed the towel, looking around the room wildly. Her gaze turned to Sam, shaking her head. "How? I didn't say it; she did." She pointed at Athena, not accusingly or angrily, just merely to get her point across.
Sam glanced at Dean who shrugged, not knowing what to say. Neither of them understood how this was happening, but they did know that they had to stop it soon or they were going to lose someone they both cared about.
Sam spoke, his natural voice softer than Dean's forced one. "Adrie. If we're gonna stop this thing, we need to know what happened." Adriana shook her head again but less convincingly. Sam sat on the bed beside her and rubbed her back, making soothing noises. "What happened?"
Adriana took a stuttering breath in before speaking in a broken voice, one the brothers had only heard once before: when her father died. "I was cleaning my teeth. I bent down and my reflection... didn't move. I looked up and she spoke to me." She stopped unable to finish, dry sobs wracking her whole body as she buried her face in Sam's chest.
Sam looked across at Dean, worried. "What did she say?"
"She said 'you killed him. It's all your fault, you weren't there. He died because of you'." There was a morbid pause in the room. "And then my eyes burned, like acid was being poured on them, and that's when I screamed," she finished in a hollow voice.
Dean began pacing. "Where's the pattern?" He questioned, shaking his head as he glanced at Adriana who was leaning against Sam, holding onto his shirt tightly.
"There isn't one, Dean," Sam said quietly, his arms around Adriana as her shakes and sob slowly lessened. He sighed. "We don't have enough information on anything to even try to attempt to find a pattern right now."
Dean turned to Sam. "So what are we supposed to do? Just sit here with Adriana next on the chopping block?" He questioned.
Sam gave him a look that Dean could only interrupt as don't scare her anymore than she already is. Dean could only sigh at his brother's look before running a hand through his short, light brown hair. Adriana was like his little sister and there was no way he was going to lose her. There had to be a way to stop this thing. He groaned inwardly. They didn't even know what "this thing" was at the moment. They had no information that could help them, and right now they were running out of time-and so was Adriana.
"We have to find out what it is and we can't leave Adriana alone. What if I go to the Shoekmaker's and you go to the library and Athena stays with her-"
Sam shook his head at his brother. "She wouldn't know what to do, I'll stay, research isn't that hard. And she's been to college."
Dean paused for a moment. "Okay," he said, snapping into action. Sam re-covered Adriana's head while they opened the door and they quickly crossed the lounge. As they reached the Impala, Athena spoke, her voice for once lacking sarcasm.
"Please tell me what's happening?" Dean ignored her as he climbed in the car and turned on the engine, skidding out of her driveway again. "Dean?" Athena questioned. Dean sighed. This girl's life was in danger. She had to know.
"Do you believe in the Supernatural?" he asked her quietly but urgently. Athena was still for a minute.
"I didn't until five minutes ago."
Dean nodded, this girl caught on fast. "Well basically, my brother and I hunt creatures of the supernatural. And that in there... whatever it is, is one of them." Athena accepted his words. There was no other explanation for it. Dean skidded into the library parking lot. "Okay, you're looking for Gary Bryman remember? Anything unusual about his death, anything odd, get it down. I'll come in and find you when I'm done. Whatever you do, don'tsay it."
Athena nodded her head, quickly getting out of the car. She had made the mistake once and said her name, and now Adriana was in trouble. She wasn't about to make the same mistake twice. She watched the black Impala exit the parking lot before she hopped up the steps to the library and quickly made her way in, taking note of the time it closed. She had about thirty minutes before they would kick her out. She had to get to researching fast before that time came. She stepped inside and quickly made her way over to a computer, typing in the name 'Gary Bryman'. A bunch of results popped up and she sighed. This was going to be harder than she thought.
While Dean was on his way to the Shoemaker's, he was about twenty minutes into the drive when his phone rang. He quickly pulled it out of his pocket, and flipped it open. Placing it to his ear, he kept one hand on the wheel, paying attention to the road.
"What is it, Sammy?"
"How are you going to talk to Donna?" He asked over the receiver. You don't have any reason to get into the bathroom to look at the mirror. And I'm pretty sure she isn't just gonna let you waltz in there," He added.
Dean groaned. He hadn't thought that far ahead. "I'll... uh... improvise."
There was a pause. "Improvising? Is that what they call it now days?"
"Improvising works Sam. You just have to be skilled enough to execute it," Dean said before flipping the phone shut, and pulling into the driveway of the Shoemaker family. He knocked on the door and it was answered by Donna.
"Yes?" she asked, her tone curious but not dismissive.
"I was wondering if I could perhaps come in, to talk to you about a few things" Dean asked lightly. Donna seemed surprised but swung the door open, allowing him to enter.
"What do you need to talk about?" she asked as Dean desperately wracked his brains, trying to think of something plausible to say.
"This is gonna sound-" Before he could come up with probably the worst lie he had ever created in his career of lying, Charlie stepped out from a room off to the left.
"Donna, can I have some water?" Charlie asked. Donna nodded before exiting the room to go to the kitchen. Charlie waited for her to leave before addressing Dean. "Your brother called. He said you might need help with something and that I could help. Look, I don't know what's going on but if my friends are in danger, I'm willing to help you." She paused for a moment before continuing. "What do you need?" She asked and Dean was standing there quietly for a moment, not quite sure how to react before he spoke.
"I need to see the mirror that Donna's dad died in front of," He stated, realizing how stupid the actual request sounded out loud.
Charlie gave him an odd look but nodded for him to go right ahead. "I'll keep her away."
Dean quickly walked up the stairs, trying to tread lightly. He opened the cupboard so he could see the back of the mirror and ripped off the backing cover. He shone the black light over it.
"Linda Shoemaker," he said, taking note of the similar hand print beside it. He ran the light over the rest of the mirror but there was nothing. He grabbed the shredded paper and put it into the cupboard, closing it. So Mary left a name, not the victim's name, but a name behind each mirror she killed on.
"What are you doing?" came a soft voice from the doorway. Lily was standing there in a little pink nightie.
"I'm trying to help your dad. Go back to sleep," he said gently, and Lily walked off as though it was all a dream. He crept back down the stairs quietly. Donna and Charlie were sitting at the table talking. Dean pulled up a chair. "So it's just you and Lily now?" he asked. Donna nodded. "Where's your mother?"
"Mom died from an accidental overdose of sleeping pills a couple of years ago," she said, putting stress on the word accidental.
Dean paused. "I'm sorry to hear that, what was her name, I remember seeing something about that last time I visited Adrie," he lied. He paused. "So, it was an accident?"
Donna's eyes flashed as she turned to him. "Yes it was."
Dean quickly had to backtrack. "Now, Donna just listen-"
But Dean had already done too much damage. "Get out of my house!" She snapped, running up the stairs, leaving Charlie and Dean sitting at the table.
"You don't think her dad could have killed her mom, do you?" She asked quietly and Dean shrugged.
"I don't know, but it's a possibility. I need to get out of here. I'll see you around. If anything happens, call." With that, the emerald-eyed hunter walked out of the Shoemaker home and got into his Impala and headed over to the library to pick up Athena.
When he got there, she was sitting on the steps with papers in her hand. When the Impala pulled up closer to her, she stood up and got in the car, explaining to him everything she had found while handing him the paper. Dean glanced over them before pulling out his phone and dialing Sam's number. He held the phone to his ear while it rang, impatiently awaiting Sam to pick up and reply. While he waited, he gazed over the papers again, holding the phone up to his ear with his shoulder. Hopefully, Sam could give some insight into what was happening.
Sam picked up his phone from off of the table, still holding Adriana. "Dean? You guys find anything?"
Dean nodded, although Sam couldn't see it. "Yeah. The name on Shoemaker's mirror? Linda Shoemaker. It was Steven's wife who died of accidental overdose, or so that's what Donna told me." He paused looking at a paper. "So, Gary Bryman was an 8-year-old boy. Two years ago he was killed in a hit and run. The car was described as a black Toyota Camry. But nobody got the plates or saw the driver." He waited for the information to sink in before he asked, "Does this help us at all?" He questioned his little brother who sighed.
"I don't know..."
"We're on our way back to Drie's now. We'll try to put together more pieces of the puzzle then," He said before hanging up the phone.
"How did you and your brother meet Adriana?"
"Matthew Tanner, Drie's dad," He explained. "He knew my dad and that's how Adriana got all mixed up in this crazy life."
"What happened to him?" She asked quietly feeling that there was something going on, realizing this wasn't just a sensitive subject for Adriana, but also for the brothers.
"He was on a hunt with my dad and I..." Dean trailed off, glancing out the window. "The case went all wrong, and it ended up costing him his life." He got quiet near the end, and Athena slowly realized that Dean was blaming himself for the death.
Athena was no stranger to the blame game. She blamed herself for what happened to her father. But Dean seemed like the type to blame himself for anything and everything that could happen to someone he cared about, and if Adriana died, it would just about kill him. Athena snapped her fingers, suddenly.
"A black Toyota Camry? That's what Jill drove..."
Dean took in this information. "Could she have killed him?" he asked.
Athena considered his words. "It's possible. She hated responsibility. But if Shoemaker killed his wife, and Jill killed Bryman, who did Adriana kill?"
"No one as far as I know. But maybe it's not just death." He paused. "Matthew... Maybe..." He fell silent as they pulled into Adriana's driveway for the third time that day. Dean sat for a minute before opening the door. "I have an idea but I have to ask Sam," he said before climbing out and hurrying to the house. Sam was still sitting with Adriana, his arms around her and jumped slightly as Dean walked in, straight to Sam. "A spirit manifests through death right? Maybe..." he stopped and turned to Adriana. "Drie. I have a question and I need you to answer me truthfully." Adriana nodded, scared. "Do you blame yourself for your dad's death?" In answer Adriana burst into tears. "It's the guilt. There was a death and Adriana blames herself. Anyone in the same situation could've looked in that mirror and Mary would've latched onto them," Dean finished.
Sam nodded. "So, if you've got a secret, like a really nasty one where someone died, Mary sees that and punishes you for it?"
"Whether you summoned her or not," Dean added. "And it's not just the secret, it's the guilt of what happened that she latches onto."
"So, how do we stop it?" Sam asked. In response, Dean walked over to Sam's laptop, opening it and pulling it onto his lap. He waited for it to load before typing into the search engine. Sam studied his brother carefully. "You already did a search of the town, Dean."
"I'm not just doing a regular search."
"Wait, wait, wait you're doing a nationwide search?" Sam questioned, a bit in shock.
"Yep. The NCIC, the FBI database—at this point any Mary who died in front of a mirror is good enough for me," Dean commented.
"But if she's haunting the town, she should have died in the town," Sam said quietly.
Dean glanced up at his brother, a bit of annoyance in his emerald eyes. "I'm telling you there's nothing local, I've checked. So unless you got a better idea—" He trailed off as his gaze went from his brother onto the blonde he was holding in his arms. At this point, anything was worth a shot if it meant they could help save Adriana. "Did you know Mary is the second most common name in America?" Dean offered from his computer.
Sam rolled his eyes and Adriana snorted. "No, I didn't know, and I don't really care," Sam snapped.
"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," Dean remarked.
Sam glared at his brother. "I didn't sleep. So it's impossible for me to have woken up in a crappy mood. You caused that all by yourself."
Adriana looked at Sam as he said this. "You stayed awake all night?" she questioned.
Sam yawned in response and Dean nodded. He expected nothing less. He would've done the same. "It's not a big deal," The younger hunter replied nonchalantly.
"Drie, can I connect the laptop to your printer?" He asked. He glanced up and watched the blonde nod her head before he clicked on something on the screen. A few minutes later the whirring noise of the printer could be heard as it began to print out the papers he needed. He set the laptop aside and stood up, grabbing the papers off of the desk before standing at the end of the bed beside his younger brother. "Take a look at this." He handed one of the papers to Sam.
It was of a woman lying next to a mirror in a puddle of blood on the floor. Sam studied it for a minute before glancing up at his brother who then handed him the next page. This one was of the back of the mirror where a handprint could be seen, just like all the rest. Beside it, three letters could be seen: "TRE". Sam shook his head as he handed the papers back to his older brother.
"Looks like the same handprint."
Dean nodded. "Her name was Mary Worthington-an unsolved murder in Fort Wayne, Indiana."
"Indiana? But that's a whole state away," Athena spoke for the first time since returning home. Dean looked over at her. Her grey eyes showed understanding and regret.
"Your powers of observation continue to serve you well," he teased her nonetheless.
"I'm a woman, what can I say?" she said. "But seriously. If you two want to go, I can stay with Anna," she said, wavering a little but determined.
Sam shared a glance with Dean. "I think it's too risky," Dean said.
Sam sighed. "We don't really have an option. It's either that, or she goes with you and I stay." He paused, letting his brother think of what he'd rather do.
"I think we should get some sleep, then Athena and I can head out early in the morning, if she wants to. If not, I'll go on my own," Dean stated. "Sam, you need to stay with Adriana for now. The two of us," He paused and motioned to himself and Athena, "will gather information tomorrow and interview the detective who worked this case, then we'll head back here and brainstorm with you, college boy," He teased his little brother. Dean got up and began to make for the door, Athena silently following him, surreptitiously stretching out her limbs. "Oh and Sammy? Generally when people's eyes are closed, they can't see anything. So if Adriana sleeps, so can you." Adriana nodded from her position on the bed. She'd barely moved all day, she was too scared, and Sam wouldn't have let her. Dean gently pulled the bedroom door closed behind him. "Right. Sleep for us as well, unless you have a guilty little secret hiding away?" Dean joked, trying, as always, to lighten the mood. Athena didn't reply. "What is it? You don't do you?" Dean quickly asked, sounding concerned.
When Athena replied, it was in a low, pained voice. "I do have a secret. Just not the sort Mary would kill for," she said, a small sad smile gracing her features. Dean didn't push it.
"Oh them, I have plenty of those," he said, lying on the couch. "I hope you know I'm totally not going to be able to sleep tonight."
Athena nodded. "It's my fault that Adriana could get hurt," she said quietly. "Everyone's blaming it on themselves, but I was the one who said it."
Dean rolled his eyes. "Jeez. If we're going to be that way, I could say it was Adriana's fault for getting in a fight with you. Or Lily's friend's fault for daring her. Or my fault for not reacting fast enough to the thing that killed Matt. It's everybody's and nobody's fault."
"Because that makes sense," Athena quipped.
"It sure does. Speaking of the fight, I just remembered that not only is Athena the goddess of wisdom, she's also the goddess of warfare. So, yet again, it's remarkably apt you can throw a decent punch."
Athena laughed. "Scared big boy?" she questioned teasingly.
Dean smirked. "Not in the slightest. Just curious."
Athena widened her eyes in mock innocence. "Oh but Dean, don't forget, curiosity killed the cat," she said with a wink, throwing his earlier words back in his face.
"No Athena. Ignorance did," he replied, remembering her reply.
Athena laughed. "Touché," She replied, shaking her head.
She grabbed the blankets that Sam had left for her earlier that night and spread them out on the floor, creating her own make-shift bed. She tossed the pillow down onto one end of her bed before lying down, staring up at the ceiling. "What other creatures have you hunted, Dean?" She questioned out of curiosity. Until tonight, she hadn't believed in the supernatural, but now? There was no way not to believe in it. It was impossible and she knew that she couldn't deny it.
Dean shrugged, leaning on an elbow to look at her. "Well, recently, Sam and I hunted a "woman in white" and a demon."
"I hope you realize I have no idea whatsoever what any of these things are. Except the demon sounds familiar. After all, one's sitting right in front of me," she said with a smirk.
"Oi! I am not a demon. I'm an angel," he said, attempting to place an innocent grin on his face and failing.
"I'm more inclined to believe that brother of yours over you, Dean," she said, laughing as he spoke.
"Okay, a 'woman in white' is a spirit who wanders the earth, looking for someone to help her cross over into the afterlife. Usually she's lost something, most probably her life."
"And let me guess, she wears white?"
"And the gold star goes to Athena. Shush you. I'm trying to explain mythology. There was a water spirit who had been killed and was seeking revenge. Basically, the spirits have been caused through violent deaths and wreak havoc until they a) get what they want or b) we kill 'em," he finished, leaning back against the chair and putting his hands behind his head.
Athena nodded. "And how do you kill them?"
"Your most basic method is salt on the body and torch it. Works on most spirits. But there are some creatures that take something else. The demon had to be exorcised while we were on a plane. That's always fun to do."
"I bet," she said, glancing at the clock. It was almost 5 in the morning. She hadn't realized how late they had been up trying to figure this thing out. It was as if realizing how late it was made her tired, and she yawned a bit, lying back down.
"Tired?" Dean asked and she nodded her head. "Get some sleep."
"How many hours of sleep do you get?" She asked.
He shrugged. "It depends on the week. Usually? Usually I get four to five hours," He told her with a smile. "That's about all I need."
"That's not enough for anyone," Athena stated.
Dean laughed. "It's enough for Sam and I," He said.
"No wonder you're so sarcastic. Takes no effort to do it, and you don't have any energy to contribute anything of value. Therefore, you need sleep," Athena said, rather please she had arrived at this conclusion.
Dean nodded. He knew he needed sleep, but if he slept that meant he had to end his conversations with Athena. And that was something he seemed very reluctant to do. He sighed. He could talk to her on the way to Indiana. He needed to be well rested in order to be on point for the job tomorrow. He needed to find out as much information as possible in order to help Adriana. So, he lied down onto his back, gazing up at the ceiling as well. At least they were gaining some headway in this case. They knew how Mary was finding her victims; they just didn't know how to stop her.
Dawn broke and Dean cracked open his eyes. He'd barely slept. What was it about this job that made him so nervous? It's because it's Adriana, he thought. He didn't know if he'd be able to live with himself if he lost her. He rolled over to find Athena, curled into a remarkably small ball for someone her height. She had been talking through the night, saying meaningless streams of gibberish. As she rolled, over more words came out of her mouth.
"Raise, fold, debt, NO," she muttered, her words barely comprehensible.
Dean sat up on the couch and crept around the edge, going to check on Sam and Adriana. He gently knocked and pushed open the door to find them also asleep. Sam's head was lolling back, his arms still wrapped around Adriana, who's face showed an innocent expression, one that seemed to ignore her current situation. The expression on Sam's face gave Dean the impression that the younger hunter hadn't had nightmares while he slept this time. He wondered if it was because he had actually slept in a place that he felt safe in, a place he could call home, or if it was because of the little blonde in his arms. Dean walked over to the two, gently shaking Sam's shoulder.
"Sammy. Sammy!" he said, trying to wake him. Sam opened his eyes, dazed.
"Hey Sam, you sleep alright? Dean asked softly. Sam nodded, still half asleep.
"Well, Athena and I are leaving for Indiana. You gonna be okay?"
"Yep. Thanks Dean," Sam said. Dean patted him on the shoulder and left the room. Athena was now awake and leaning against the bench.
"We have to go soon," she stated, stretching.
"Yes, we do," Dean said, walking around the room and grabbing various pieces of paraphernalia. Athena watched him, then sloped off to the bathroom to get changed, avoiding the mirror all the same. She returned in tight skinny jeans and a red blouse, quite similar to the one Adriana wore to the funeral. She had her hair tied into a pony tail and only now did Dean realize the length of it. Even tied up, it reached her mid-back.
"Okay, I'm ready. I don't need to get the table salt do I?" she asked jokingly. Dean smiled.
"No, rock salt tends to work better," he said as he flipped a sawed off shot gun and loaded it with rock salt. "We're off." He led the way out of Adriana's apartment, closing the door behind him.
The sound of the door closing woke Adriana who jolted up, startled. She glanced around, a terrified gaze in her eyes and Sam instantly sat up, trying to calm her down. "Drie, it's just Dean. He left with Athena. It's okay." She nodded and took a deep breath. "So what's our plan of attack for the day?" Sam asked her, trying to keep her calm. Adriana saw right through him.
"Today, I sit in my room, avoiding all reflective surfaces as not to die," she said cynically.
Sam almost smiled. "Are you gonna be okay if I make us some coffee?" Adriana hesitantly nodded. There was no real danger to her, she just didn't want Sam to leave. He got off the bed, the depression from his body weight slowly reforming and crossed the room. "Don't look," he said before pulling open the door.
This was Adriana. He wasn't going to take any chances. He switched the jug on, tapping his fingers on the bench top. He had an idea of how to solve this but Adriana wasn't going to like it. Dean definitely wasn't going to like it. But Sam didn't care. He needed to save his best friend. The jug boiled and he quickly made two cups of coffee, skillfully maneuvering his way through the messy room, blankets, clothes, the occasional gun. He knocked on the door with his elbow and opened it quickly. Adriana hadn't moved. He smiled as he handed her a cup.
"Thanks," She said softly, taking a sip of the coffee. It seemed to wake her up more and she sat up straighter. "How are we going to stop her?"
Sam shrugged. He would wait until Dean got back, once they had more information on Mary, to tell them all about his idea. He wasn't even sure at the moment if it would work. "Hopefully, Dean and Athena can come up with more info that can help us."
"Let's hope so."
Sam glanced down. "I'm sorry about..." He sighed motioning to a covered up mirror. "If we hadn't come into town you'd be fine."
Adriana gave a soft laugh. "If you guys hadn't come into town, a lot more people would be dying and we wouldn't know how to stop it." She saw his expression and sighed. "Sammy, I'm a hunter. No, I don't want to be, but I am. You can't blame yourself for every dangerous situation I get thrown into."
"Dean was really the only one that enjoyed this lifestyle."
"And our fathers, Sam. That last hunt... I couldn't have stopped him if I tried," she said, the pain in her voice obvious.
"I know Drie. Anymore than I couldn't have stopped Dad from running off and looking for this... this thingthat killed mom and Jess".
"What actually happened?" Adriana asked in a soft voice. Sam shook his head before speaking.
"I got home, she wasn't there... I woke up. She was there. On the ceiling. Dripping blood, just like mom. And then she just burst into flames. Gone," he said, his voice barely audible.
"Sam... I'm really sorry," she said and hugged him gently. He wrapped his arms around her, trying not to let her show how much it meant to him. They stayed that way for about thirty seconds before Sam pulled back, trying to figure what the hell was going on in his head.
Meanwhile, Dean and Athena were making good time to Indiana. Athena seemed to enjoy the drive, more so than Dean, who was awfully quiet for once. She glanced over at him, trying to study his expression but it was unreadable. To her, she didn't know if that was normal or not, but to someone who knew him, they would know he was always unreadable with his emotions when someone close to him was hurting. Because he would always blame himself for it. No matter who's fault it really was, he took personal responsibility.
"Dean?" Athena asked quietly. "You okay?"
He glanced over at her. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine."
"May I ask you a question?"
"You just did but go ahead," he said.
"Are you afraid of the dark?"
Dean looked over at her. "What sort of question isthat?"
She smirked."A very just and relevant one. Now answer it!"
"Hell yeah I'm afraid of the dark! Just not quite as afraid as I am as flying."
"You hate flying?" she said, surprise in her voice. Dean seemed like the sort of person not to have any mundane weaknesses like flying.
"It terrifies me. Why, what are you afraid of?"
Athena considered his words for a moment. "Well, certainly not the dark. My theory was, if I can't see the monsters, they can't see me."
Dean snorted with laughter, trying to contain it but cracking up anyway. "That is the most ridiculous theory I've ever heard."
Athena playfully hit him on the arm. "Hey, it worked when I was innocent and naive and didn't know about all this," she said, sweeping her arm across Dean's equipment in the back seat. "But really... I'm afraid of deep water. I almost drowned as a kid. It absolutely terrifies me."
Dean nodded. "Flying and water. We make a good team," he said with a wink.
Athena laughed. "Yeah, a perfect team." She rolled her eyes playfully at him. "So, what are we going to do in Indiana?"
"We're gonna talk to the Detective that worked on the Mary Worthington case a while back," Dean explained. He tore his eyes off of the road for a second to glance over her wardrobe choice. "Well, I'm gonna talk to him. You don't exactly look like an FBI agent. And you don't have a badge."
"I could look like an agent if I wanted to, thank you very much. You don't look like law enforcement either. Before you even showed me those creds, I knew you were a fake," she said knowingly.
"Oh? Pray tell, do share."
She paused, as if having some internal debate. "My dad's been in trouble with the law. I got pretty good at picking out the agents. When you walked in, you just didn't have the attitude. You were much too..." she stopped, searching for a word, "cocky? Yes. And you didn't exactly keep a low profile, although Adriana saw to that."
"And your mysterious past continues to unfold," he replied.
"Not quite as mysterious as yours, I imagine. But if you do need back up, I can help?" she offered.
Dean nodded. "Sounds like a plan." He paused, turning back to the road. "You know... if we can get you a skirt that looks professional, I can say you're an agent-in-training," He told her.
Athena nodded. "That sounds good."
Dean nodded, not saying anything else as he drove on down the road, hoping they could find something that would be of use.
Sam sighed, trying to find more information on Mary Worthington. He needed something to keep him occupied or else he would go insane from worry about Adriana who was now curled up against his side, sleeping. Nothing. Nothing at all. Funny how the Internet could be so helpful at times and so useless at others. A noise escaped from Adriana's lips and he looked over at her, closing the laptop. She rolled over and stretched, her eyelids fluttering open.
"Hey," she said quietly.
Sam smiled at her. "Hey yourself. How are you feeling?"
"Fine. I mean, bored but I don't feel like my eyes are about to spontaneously combust."
Sam laughed. Adriana would have to be one of the only people he knew who would make jokes when their death was imminent, Dean being the other. "That's always a good thing. I mean, I like your eyes."
"You like my eyes?"
"Your eyes are blue like the ocean and baby, I'm lost at sea."
Adriana stared at him, before laughing as well. "That is so something Dean would say. Sam, please do me a favor and neversay anything like that to any girl again," she said cheekily.
"Your wish is my command."
Adriana hit him on the shoulder. "Stop it! How is it possible that your brother is such an ass, and your such a gentleman?"
"Honestly? I don't know. Maybe it's the same way that you can be a stubborn, aggressive woman sometimes, and at others, you're totally sweet. It's a bit disarming," he finished.
"Aggressive? I'm never aggressive," she said, pouting and Sam could only laugh.
"Yes, like right now you're simply playing innocent," He joked with her and she crossed her arms over her chest, still pouting and still leaning against him.
"So, what are you searching?" She asked. "If you were Dean, I'd assume you were looking at porn," She joked with a laugh.
Sam spluttered. "No. Noooo. I was looking up any more files on Mary Worthington," he said quickly, blushing.
"And?"
"Nothing. As usual. I hope Dean gets back soon."
"Not as much as I do."
"Can't argue there," he said, while the plan continued to formulate in his head.
Dean and Athena reached Indiana and pulled into a department store. "Right. We need to get you looking... agent like," he said, killing the engine.
Athena looked at him. "Agent like? Oh how terribly eloquent of you."
Dean rolled his eyes as he hustled her into the shop, making his way over to the women's clothing. He picked up various items, muttering to himself and discarding an awful lot. "Nope... wrong cut... wrong colour... too long."
Athena stood there disbelieving. "You know, if I didn't know better, I'd think you were gay."
Dean glanced up in surprise and paused, before shooting her an evil grin. "But daaaaarling, of course I am. Besides, this color would be all wrong on you."
Athena shook her head and grabbed the skirts off him, walking to the changing rooms. Dean followed her and leaned against the wall as she pulled the thin white curtain closed. He grinned to himself as her saw her silhouette, illuminated by the ceiling lights, through the curtain. He looked around the store quickly. Nothing of importance was around. The curtain twitched open. Athena stepped out in a figure hugging grey skirt, much like the one Adriana had worn to the funeral.
Dean whistled appreciatively. "Perhaps a little short, but that could work in our favor."
Athena rolled her eyes. "Oh, I'm sure you're exploiting me for the greater good of the investigation and not your own gain."
Dean pasted a mock wounded expression on his face and Athena stepped back into the changing room, returning out holding the skirt and in her figure hugging jeans. They walked to the checkout and bought the skirt with no issues, and then back into the parking lot. "You owe me fifty bucks," Dean said, grinning as they crossed the car park.
Athena nudged him with her shoulder. "Dream on fruitcake," she said. A sudden thought struck her. "I'll pay you the money if you let me drive!"
A worried expression crossed Dean's face. "No. You can have the skirt for free."
Athena pouted but climbed into the passenger seat. "I do know how to handle a car you know," she stated, a bit miffed.
"A car? But not this car. Besides," he said, smoothly pulling away, "I don't trust woman drivers."
"You have got to be the most sexist pig I've ever met."
They bantered another five minutes before they reached the house of the detective who had investigated the murder of Mary Worthington. Dean killed the engine. "What's your last name?" he queried as he climbed out of the car.
"Mclean."
"Well, Agent Mclean, this is it," he said as he knocked on the door.