"Breath Dean," she murmured quietly and Dean composed himself, striding over to the Impala. He quickly propped up the trunk with a gun, rifling through the assortment of weapons until he pulled out an axe and a rifle. He ran back over to the house, handing Adriana the gun and began hacking away at the door, furiously. Through the door, Dean could hear objects being slammed. He just hoped one of those objects wasn't his brother.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, he had made a hole in the door that was big enough for him to fit through. He quickly grabbed the gun from Adriana and turned to her. "Stay out here," He instructed before climbing through the hole.
She rolled her eyes. "The hell I will," She stated before quickly following after him.
Athena, who had been standing off to the side, quickly followed inside as well figuring if the blonde could go then so could she. Inside, she could hear Dean calling out for his little brother, over and over again. She followed Dean's voice and found him and Adriana rushing into the living room where Sam was laying against a wall. Adriana rushed over to him and knelt beside him as Dean raised his rifle up towards the fiery creature, totally ready to take a shot and shoot it. He only hoped that would be enough to kill it, but Sam's voice stopped him.
"No, don't! Don't!" He called to Dean who turned to him, a look of utter disbelief on his face.
What? Why?!" He questioned.
"Because I know who it is. I can see her now," Sam said, his voice soft.
They all stared at the fiery creature and after a few moments the fire disappeared, leaving Mary Winchester standing there in the same spot, looking exactly as she did the night she died. Dean's expression softened as he watched his mom, lowering his gun slowly in shock. He couldn't believe she was right in front of him. He shook his head, unable to comprehend it. He gazed at her quizzically, his voice breaking as he spoke.
"Mom?" He called out to her softly as she smiled at him and took a step closer to him.
"Dean," she said imply, and his entire childhood came flooding back to him. Tears prickled his eyes as he watched his mother walk over to his brother. "Sam," she said just as softly. Sam smiled weakly, crying and Adriana stepped beside him, grabbing his hand, looking at the woman she'd heard so much about. "I'm sorry," Mary said.
"For what?" Sam asked, confused. Mary just met his eyes sadly but didn't reply. She looked up at the ceiling.
"You get out of my house. And let go of my son," she said with force. She burst into flames. Dean took an involuntary step forward, as the flames grew and engulfed the ceiling. The force holding Sam against the wall suddenly vanished. Sam walked over to Dean, still holding Adriana's hand, stunned.
"Nowit's over," he said, and briefly relinquished his grip on Adriana to hug his brother. Adriana looked over at Athena. Neither of them knew what to make of this, Athena even less so. She walked over to the girl and whispered something in her ear. The brunette shook her head. Adriana raised her eyebrows but Athena jerked her head at the boys, who had since broken from their embrace. They looked over at the leggy brunette and the petite blonde, both had saved each of their lives.
"C'mon," Dean said gruffly, wiping the tears from his eyes. They left the Winchester house. Again. "So, Sammy, anymore creepy feelings?" Dean asked, his natural sarcastic voice returning. Sam sighed.
'I told you Dean, now it's over, okay? Usually by over, we mean no more evil spirits, no more things that want to kill us," Sam explained, frustrated that his brother never understood anything. Dean raised his eyebrows.
"Jeez, I was just double checking, no need to overreact," he said, dramatically rolling his eyes. He looked back at Adriana, who, as always had a bounce in her step, as though she had a constant supply of energy. "You're like the energizer bunny," he told her as they crossed the lawn to Jenny.
"I'm going to take that as a compliment."
"You shouldn't."
"Whatever, Dean." Adriana rolled her eyes.
"You just keep going and going and going and going-it could be a good thing, depending on what we're talking about," He told her with a wink and she hit the back of his head.
"Upstairs brain, Dean," She told him with a dark glare.
Dean laughed. "All right. Let's get out of here and head back to the motel. We'll get some sleep then we'll come back here in the morning with Missouri and get her to check out the place and make sure it's safe for Jenny and the kids," He said and everyone nodded in agreement.
"Sleep sounds absolutely fantastic right now," Adriana said as they reached the car and she climbed into the backseat without a word.
The others all got in and Dean drove off to the motel. The car ride was unusually quiet the whole way. Dean didn't even make any witty retorts. He was too busy thinking about their house and the fact that he had just seen his mother. He pulled up to the parking lot and killed the engine of the car before climbing out and leaning against the door, silently. He just couldn't believe it. After all these years, and he had finally come face to face with his mother's spirit. It was unreal. He followed the rest of the people inside, with Sam carrying Adriana who had fallen asleep. Athena opened the door for Sam and Adriana before touching Dean's shoulder outside the door.
"Hey. You okay?" she asked, her voice low and coarse. Dean looked up and met her eyes.
"Yeah. I'm okay," he said shortly, turning to go past her into the room. Athena cocked her head.
"You look like her," she said, unexpectedly. Dean paused, one hand on the door frame. He opened his mouth to say something but no words came out. He looked at her, and nodded, before finally getting into the room. Sam had laid Adriana gently down on the bed, brushing her hair out of her eyes. Dean stood quietly, watching his little brother. Unbeknown to him, Athena was watching him. Sam glanced up, a sudden thought striking him.
"Athena?" he asked. She looked across the room and stepped inside.
"Yeah?" she asked, her tone curious.
"Do you have any siblings?"
She paused for a moment, shocked at the question. Dean looked over at her, all of a sudden wanting to know the answer. "Actually I have a little sister who lives in New York with my mom. Well, half sister." Sam nodded and turned back to Adriana, who was making snuffling noises in her sleep. Dean seemed surprised. Athena raised her eyebrows. "Yes?"
"I don't know, you just don't seem like the sibling type."
"And why ever is that, Dean?"
"Only children tend to be more confident..."
"Which doesn't explain how you were made, does it?" she said, finishing the conversation and lying on the couch. Dean shook his head, as if trying to clear the many thoughts that were happening inside it.
"Night Sammy," he said before taking the other bed.
"Night Dean," his brother replied softly. Dean fell asleep almost instantly. Sam looked over at Athena, who was just lying in the dark, before laying alongside Adriana on the bed, a hand falling over her protectively. Athena glanced up and watched the blonde girl shift closer to Sam in her sleep, not even realizing what she was doing. The dark-haired beauty turned on her side, slowly letting sleep overcome her.
The next morning, she awoke to Adriana whining. "I don't wanna get up," The blonde complained, closing her eyes and burying her head in Sam's chest as Dean tried to get her up.
"Drie. Get up," Dean said rolling his eyes.
Adriana shook her head. "No," She stated in a voice that sounded very much like a little kid. "I'm tiwed," She added, burying her head more into Sam's chest, trying to block out the light from the room and light that was streaming in from the open window from outside.
"We have to meet Missouri over at Jenny's house," Sam told Adriana who still shook her head.
"No. I'm tired. Just five more minutes," She pleaded as Athena sat up and stretched, laughing a bit at how absurd this scene was.
"Drie, c'mon," Sam said, attempting to reason with her. In response, Adriana took her head off Sam's chest and ducked under the covers, pouting.
"I'm not coming out," she said in a petulant voice. Sam shook his head at Dean, who stood up, looking mildly annoyed. Athena sat up in interest. Dean crept over to the bed, motioning for Sam to move. Sam sighed and moved, knowing his brother would move him anyway. Dean grabbed the bundle of sheets that was Adriana and picked her up. She squirmed. "Sam! Put me down!" she yelled, not realising it was the older brother and not the younger one.
"Wrong move, Adrie. If I were Sam, I'd put you down," he said cheerily, making his way to the kitchen.
"If you were Sam, he'd be an asshole," she muttered through the sheets, her voice muffled.
"Adriana, I wouldn't insult the person in control of you. It's not a very smart thing to do. Then again, you are a blonde."
"You're not in control of me you pretentious jerk!" she yelled, wriggling in his grip in a futile effort to get loose.
"Really? Ah well, if you can get out of my grip by yourself..." he continued, smirking and the attack redoubled. He stopped in the middle of the kitchen and lowered her to the tile floor, whipping the blankets away so her skin was exposed to the cool marble. She gasped and huddled into a ball.
"You're such a meanie," she said, glaring at him as she curled herself into a ball. "That's not a nice thing to do," She added and he grinned.
"Well, now you're up and awake."
"Well, what do you expect when cold marble touches your skin!" Adriana snapped.
Dean smirked. "Wear more clothes then," He told her with a wink. "Come on. Get ready everyone. We leave in thirty minutes," He added.
"Thirty minutes?" Adriana questioned in shock. "There's no way I'll be ready to leave in thirty minutes," She told him and he simply smirked at her.
"Then I will drag you out of this house in whatever state you are in," Dean told her. "So, I suggest you hurry and get everything done you can."
Adriana shook her head. "You won't drag me out."
Dean smirked. "Watch me."
Adriana shook her head again. He wouldn't do it, she told herself as she pushed herself up off of the floor to get ready.
True to his word, thirty minutes later, he was dragging Adriana out the door half dressed. She had a pair of jean shorts on, and she carrying a shirt in her hands. Her hair was still a mess from last night because she hadn't had the time to do anything with it. She had been lucky enough to put her make-up on though. She yanked her arm out of Dean's grasp to slip her shirt on over her bra. The rest of them, however, managed to look respectable. Dean and Sam were in their usual hunting outfits and Athena was matching them in tight skinny jeans and a top. She hadn't needed quite as much intense preparation in the cosmetics department as Adriana as she just wore eye make up. Her nose was swollen and she kept touching it gingerly.
On one such occasion, Dean grabbed her wrist on it's path up to her nose. "Don't. Touch. It," he said gently. Athena yanked her hand away.
"Don't tell me what to do!" she snapped back. Sam and Adriana turned and looked at her. It was very unlike Athena to snap at Dean. She yanked open the car door and climbed in, slamming it behind her.
"Whoa. I swear, this time I didn't even do anything," Dean said in a shocked voice. Adriana flicked him as she rode shot gun. Sam had to choose between going in the front and leaving Dean and Athena an explosion waiting to happen or going in the back with the mopey brunette himself. He sighed. For the good of them all, right? He climbed into the back. Athena ignored him and Dean took off.
"Athena, are you really okay?" Sam asked in a low voice as Adriana and Dean bickered. She turned to him, unusual anger in her grey eyes.
"No, Sam, I'm not okay. I'm tired, my fucking nose is broken, and I'm sick of only being told half of everything when you expect to know anything in return!" she said, her voice raising to a yell. Silence fell in the Impala. Dean pulled over to the road. "You know what? I'm done with lies, with half truths. Anytime you feel as though you want bestow the precious family secrets upon me, let me know. Because. I. Can not. Work. With. This!" she yelled climbing out of the car. Dean gripped the steering wheel, then followed her outside.
"What is your problem Athena?" he said angrily. She stood, hands on her hips, not looking so much feisty as Adriana would, but pissed as hell.
"What's yours, Dean Winchester? I don't even know who you are! What even happened last night!"
"Why do you need to know. Somethings have just gotta stay in the family," he said, trying to keep calm.
"Oh yeah? Some things? Like what? Like why your mom died? Like why your dad's gone? Every single thing I've been given a half answer, and I'm sick of your bullshit. You say it's 'in the family' yet what is she right there?" She gestured to Adriana. "Not family, Dean. But she obviously deserves to know more than I do. I mean, I'm good enough to bring along, to be useful to you, but not good enough to know anything!"
By this time, Adriana and Sam had climbed out of the car, leaning against the Impala. "I've lived with them practically since I was born," Adriana interjected, most unhelpfully.
Athena shook her head, turning her dark glare onto the blonde. "Don't. Just stay out of this," She snapped harshly.
"You wanna know the truth?" Dean snapped, anger blazing in his emerald eyes, drawing Athena's attention back onto him and off of the petite blonde. "You wanna know why our mom died and why our dad's missing? You wanna know what happened last night?" He asked and watched as Athena nodded her head. He set his jaw, frustrated. "Good. Cause so do I. I got no clue why my mom died or why my dad is missing other than he's trying to find the thing that killed my mom, Athena. That's it. That's all I've got to go on. That's why I'm out here-why we're out here-searching for answers."
Athena's expression softened for a moment as she glanced down, suddenly feeling a little bad for her snapping. She didn't know what to say, so Sam commented. "Are we good to go?"
Dean nodded, his gaze never leaving Athena. "Yeah. Let's get over to Jenny's and make sure they're all okay," He said before turning back to his car, finally tearing his eyes off of the girl. "We told Missouri we'd meet her over there," He added, climbing into the Impala's driver side, starting the car and waiting for the others to get in. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel impatiently. "You guys coming or what?"
Sam glanced at Adriana over the top of the hood before climbing back into the backseat of the car. The blonde glanced out at Athena. "Athena?" She called softly.
The dark-haired girl turned softly at her name. "I'm coming," She said before walking over to the Impala. She took a deep breath, opening the door to the back and climbed in beside Sam as Adriana got into the passenger side.
"We good?" Dean asked everyone before taking off towards Jenny's house again.
Once there, Dean parked the car and Athena and Sam got out, heading over to Missouri who was talking to Jenny. Sam and Athena led Missouri inside the house as Dean got out and leaned against the front side of the car. Adriana walked around to talk to him, leaning beside him. She was silent for a few moments before she laid her head against his shoulder, placing her hands in the pocket of her black leather jacket. "I thought you said she was fitting in and you guys were all getting long?" She asked him softly.
Dean laughed. "We were-are. I don't know what it is."
Adriana sighed. "Is it me? I mean, maybe she feels like I'm replacing her?"
Dean shook his head. "You can't..."
"I can't what, Dean?" She asked.
Dean sighed, glancing down. "You can't take your own place, Drie. You're not replacing her because she's not you."
Adriana smiled at him. This was one of those few, deep moments the two had. "Give her time and she'll fit in just like I do. She just doesn't know all the ropes of how this gig can work."
Dean sighed. "It's not the same. I mean, I'm glad she came with us. She's her own person, but it's not the same without you, Drie."
Adriana laughed. "Wow. Are you actually saying you miss me, Dean?"
Dean laughed. "Don't flatter yourself, Princess." Before Adriana could comment further, Jenny walked up, handing Dean a box. He opened the lid and pulled out a bunch of old photos of him and Sam when they were really little and lived in the house. He went through a few of them, showing some to Adriana who giggled occasionally at a funny picture. Dean nodded at Jenny. "Thanks for these," He said sincerely and she waved it off.
"Don't thank me," She said smiling. "They're yours."
Dean nodded and put the box of photos into the backseat of the car on the floor. He straightened and turned to see Sam sitting on the steps of the old house with Athena beside him, neither one of them talking to the other. After a few moments, Missouri joined the two and sat on the other side of Sam, smiling softly at him.
"Well, there are no spirits in there anymore, this time for sure," She stated.
Sam glanced over at her. "Not even my mom?" He asked.
Missouri shook her head. "No."
"What happened?" Athena asked quietly, not understanding.
"Their mom's spirit and the poltergeist cancelled each other out," Missouri explained then turned to Sam. "Your mom destroyed herself goin' after that thing."
"Why would she do something like that?" Sam asked softly.
"Well, to protect her boys, of course," Missouri stated and Athena watched as Sam nodded his head, fresh tears in his eyes again. The psychic woman started to place a hand on his shoulder comfortingly, but stopped herself for some reason. "Sam, I'm sorry," She told him softly
Sam gazed up at her. "For what?"
"You sensed it was here, didn't you? Even when I couldn't." It was more of a statement than an actual question for him.
Sam nodded, then gazed down at his hands. "What's happening to me?" He asked quietly.
Missouri sighed. "I know I should have all the answers, but I don't." She paused for a moment before speaking again. "Sam, I know you loved your girlfriend, but that doesn't mean you can't love again."
Sam glanced at her, confused. "What do you mean?"
Missouri nodded to the tiny blonde standing next to Dean. "I'm a psychic. I sense things and I can sense you care more for Adriana than you want to let on." Sam looked at her shocked. He opened and closed his mouth a few times. Missouri waggled her finger at him.
"Don't even try and deny it boy," she said in a stern but understanding tone. Sam sighed. He wasn't going to ever admit it.
"Maybe your vibes are confused, Missouri," he said quietly before turning to look at Adriana.
He would never tell anyone, he was more like Dean than he thought. They kept it all locked inside until they just couldn't take it anymore. Missouri shook her head, pursing her lips. Sam walked over to Dean and Adriana. Dean was stroking a picture of their mum and Sam peered over his shoulder. Their mum was sitting in a chair, on the lawn of the first Winchester house. It was summer and she looked beautiful. Dean sighed, and Sam placed a hand on his shoulder. Dean kind of shrugged in surprise, before letting the photo fall into the box. Sam stepped away as Dean turned and cleared his throat.
"Thanks for these Jenny," Dean said, awkwardly lifting the box up. Jenny smiled at him.
"No problem Dean. Thanks for..." She trailed off, not being able to find the words. Dean nodded, understanding. Sam stepped around his brother and hugged her. Adriana crouched down to say goodbye to Sairie, before standing to hug Jenny as well. The group looked at each other before going to cross the lawn.
"Bye Athena," Jenny called, a small smile playing on her lips. Athena lifted a hand in acknowledgement without turning around.
"Don't you all be strangers now, ya hear?" Missouri told them and Dean nodded.
"We won't," He said as he started the car. As Missouri smiled and Jenny waved at them, he pulled the car out of the driveway and down the road. He was heading back to the motel so they could gather up their stuff, check out and figure out where they were heading to next.
About thirty minutes later, Dean was sitting on the bed in the motel, his stuff packed and ready to go while he sifted through his dad's journal. Adriana was in the shower and Athena was sitting outside getting some fresh air to clear her head. Sam was sitting beside Dean, both discussing where they thought they should go next. Dean flipped another page in the journal and paused, staring at the page with Dean 35-111 circled in big, bold permanent marker. Dean nudged Sam, passing him the journal to look at it.
"Hey, I think those are coordinates," Dean commented and Sam nodded his head as he pulled a map and a ruler and began to measure and plot the coordinates on the map. The result? Black Water Ridge, Colorado.
"You think that's where dad is?" Sam asked glancing up at his older brother.
Dean nodded. "I think it's the best option we're gonna get."
"So, Black Water Ridge is where we're headed next then, huh?" Sam asked.
"Yep. So, as soon as Drie gets out of the shower, we'll head out, drop her off at the airport and then head on over to Colorado," Dean stated as he closed their father's journal and placed it inside his duffel bag.
"So by 'when Drie gets out of the shower, we'll leave' you mean 'in three hours, we'll leave'," Sam offered. Dean cracked a small smile. The water shut off in the bathroom. Sam raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"I bet it takes her less than an hour to get ready," he said. Dean pursed his lips, as if considering whether to take the bet. he stuck his hand out.
"You're on. I have faith in Drie. Name your price," he said.
"$200."
"You sure you can pay that much when you lose?" Sam snorted.
"It's been five minutes already." Dean settled down on the couch and grabbed his phone subtly. He sent Adriana a message, settling back into the couch and slipping the phone into his bag.
In the bathroom, Adriana was applying her eyeliner when she heard her phone vibrate on the bench. She picked it up. It was a text from Dean. 'Pls get rdy fst or i loos 200 bux'
Adriana laughed, considering what to do. It was always fun to play the brothers off against themselves. She just had to choose who to support. She picked her brush up and applied her foundation, not moving anymore slowly than she normally would. The brothers always made out it took her forever to get ready, but she actually moved quite fast. They were just used to having Athena around who got ready in less time than Dean. She didn't know what to do about the girl. She worked through her makeup, and zipped up the bag, switching off the light and stepping out into the main room. Dean was on the couch, attempting to look causal. Sam was doing the same at the table. Neither of them noticed her entrance.
"Fifty minutes Dean. It's not looking hopeful," Sam said smugly. Dean put his feet up on the table.
"I have faith in Drie still." Adriana realised Sam must be betting on her taking longer, and she pouted without realising. She thought Sam knew her better than that. She narrowed her eyes.
"Good, because contrary to popular rumor, I can get ready in under an hour," Adriana said, her hands on her hips and her face beautifully made up. She was wearing cut off mini shorts and a black singlet, making her skin look even more tanned than usual. Dean glanced at her.
"Adriana. You are exposing far too much flesh for this hour of the day," Dean said. Adriana raised her eyebrows coyishly.
"I bet you wouldn't say that if Athena was wearing this," she retorted sweetly. Dean sighed, grabbed his bag and slammed the apartment door shut after he left the room. Adriana gave Sam an innocent glance. Sam smiled at her.
"You do realise you just lost me two hundred dollars," he said, not sounding bothered in the slightest.
"And I'm sure that's going to be terribly hard for you to pay back," she said with a smirk. Sam shook his head.
"That's beside the point, Drie."
Adriana laughed, stretching out beside him on the bed. "So, can you guys take me to the airport so I can get home?" She asked him.
Sam nodded, his gaze lowering to her exposed stomach for a moment before sliding up her body to her eyes. "Yeah... Drie, wait..." He took a deep breath. "I want you to go with us on this next hunt... We have coordinates so our dad might be there... I want you there when we find him." He gazed into her eyes again. "Please?"
Adriana sighed sitting up. "Sam... I don't want to hunt anymore."
Sam nodded quickly. "I know, but just this one. Please. It might not even be a hunt. I just want you there when we find our dad." Adriana sighed again as Sam gave her a puppy pout. "Please?" He pleaded with her.
Adriana sighed. "Fine. I'll go if you stop giving me that look," She told him as she sat up and he hugged her tightly.
"Thank you, Drie," He said sincerely. She hugged him back, a soft smile playing on her lips. He pulled back and looked at her trusting blue eyes, feeling an overwhelming urge to kiss her again. He moved closer to her without realising. The door to the fire escape slammed shut, causing them both to jump apart. Athena swept through the room, barely pausing to grab her battered black bag, knocking off Adriana's pink one in the process. Sam sighed and grabbed his own bag.
"C'mon Drie," he said, checking the entire apartment for anything they might have left.
He held the door open for Adriana and shut the door on Lawrence for the second time in his life. The mood around the car was awkward. Dean was mildly annoyed at Adriana, Athena was being weird, and Sam and Adriana couldn't help but share knowing glances, pissing the other two off even more. Dean pulled away from the motel and onto the highway, exceeding the speed limit by about ten miles per hour. He turned up the radio, heavy metal blasting the car. Adriana smiled, she's always loved Dean's hardcore rock despite being a girly girl. Sam rolled his eyes in the back, expecting nothing less from his ever difficult brother and Athena closed her eyes, trying to sleep and failing desperately.
"How far away is Black Water Ridge?" Dean asked Sam, calling back over his shoulder. Sam unfolded a map and traced a finger.
"I'd say a couple of days drive, although it may only be one if you continue at this speed," Sam said pointedly. Dean rolled his eyes and re-focused on the road. He couldn't get to Colorado fast enough. If his dad had left them co-ordinates, he needed to find them and possibly find John Winchester.
"Have you ever been to Colorado?" Athena asked in a voice that was barely audible over Dean's music. Dean glanced at her, surprised. She hadn't done anything but moved her mouth, her eyes were still closed.
"Yeah once or twice, passing through. Have you?"
"No, I always wanted to because I hear they have a great ski season up there," she said, cracking an eye open. Dean shrugged.
"I wouldn't know. We never came for vacation. It was always work," He told her, focusing his attention on the road. "Look. It'll take about a day to get there so why don't you guys go ahead and get some sleep?" He suggested. "Sammy, we'll switch off driving in a bit, all right?" He told his little brother who nodded his head as he leaned back in his seat.
About a day and a couple times of switching around in the car, they were pulling up into Black Ridge, Colorado. Sam was in the front seat while the girls were in the back. Dean was driving like always and had only gotten a few hours of sleep. He refused to let anyone drive his car. Apparently Sam couldn't sleep very much. Because within a few moments of crossing the city line, Sam sat up quickly, breathing heavily and sweating a bit from another nightmare.
Dean glanced over at him. "You okay?"
Sam cleared his throat, running a hand through his head. "Yeah. I'm fine."
"Another nightmare?" Dean asked. Sam didn't reply and Dean glanced at him. "Wanna drive for a while?"
Sam glanced over at his brother, surprised and laughed. "Your whole life you've never asked me that. Once," He said and Dean shrugged.
"Just thought you might want to, never mind."
"Look man, you're worried about me, I get it and thank you but I'm perfectly okay." Dean made a non-committed noise, as if he didn't really believe him.
"All right, where are we?" Sam asked, trying to change the subject.
"We're just outside grand junction" Dean replied, scanning the road. Sam reached behind him and grabbed a map, glancing at the two girls.
"Dean... did you ever think maybe we shouldn't have left Stanford so soon?" Sam asked quietly. Dean sighed.
"Sam, we dug around there for a week and came up with nothing. You just gotta let her go, okay? She's gone" Dean said.
"Missouri said-" Sam began before glancing at the road. "LOOK OUT!" He yelled and Dean swerved wildly, trying to avoid whatever it was.
'What was that?" he asked, breathing heavily.
"A bunny rabbit," Sam said, looking back to see if it was still alive. The car jerked to a stop, the final motion waking the girls from the remnants of their sleep.
"YOU ALMOST KILLED US FOR A FUCKING BUNNY RABBIT?" Dean yelled. Sam offered a puppy dog pout to Dean, but Dean would not be consoled.
"What?" Adriana asked, stunned from her sleep by the movement and the yelling.
"While you might value my life below a tiny mammal, I bet you don't value hers below it," Dean said nastily, jerking his head towards Adriana. She gave them both a confused look, for once entirely oblivious to the situation. He swung the door open, treating his car with more violence than he normally would.
"Someone else can drive. I don't care who. I just don't want to be responsible for killing us because of a rabbit." Adriana gave Sam a look.
"You didn't, did you?"
"I had to get him back for losing $200, which, by the way is still your fault," Sam said with a smirk. Adriana shook her head and climbed out of the car as well. Athena moved into the front seat, with Dean and Adriana now in the back.
"Awe, Deanie, stop being such a Mr. Sulky Pants," Adriana said, leaning over and pinching Dean's cheek.
Dean swatted her hands away. "Don't do that," He stated.
"Why's dad sending us into the middle of the woods?" Sam asked Dean as he drove up to a visitor center. Dean could only shrug.
"I guess we'll find out soon enough," He said as Sam shut off the engine and pulled the keys out while everyone got out of the car.
"So, Black Water Ridge is pretty remote," Sam stated as they walked into Visitor's center. He walked over to a map. "It's cut off by these canyons here," He said motioning to them on the map. "rough terrain, dense forest... abandoned silver and gold mines all over the place."
"Check out this freakin' bear," Dean stated, clearly not having heard anything his brother said. Adriana glanced up at Sam before walking over to Dean and Athena where there was a picture on the wall of a man and a very large bear.
"And a dozen or more grizzlies in the area. It's no nature hike, that's for sure," Sam stated. A grizzled ranger walked up behind them.
"You four aren't planning on going out near Black Water Ridge by any chance?" he asked. Sam and Dean spun.
"Oh no sir. we're environmental study majors from UC Boulder, just working on a paper," Sam said respectfully. Dean pulled the peace sign. "Recycle."
The man shook his head. "Bull. You're friends with that Hailey girl, right?" Dean sighed as if his secret had been discovered.
"Why yes, yes we are, Ranger Wilkinson," he said, peering at the man's name plate.
"Well I will tell you exactly what we told her. Her brother filled out a backcountry permit saying he wouldn't be back from Blackwater till the 24th, so it's not exactly a missing persons now is it? You tell that girl to quit worrying, I'm sure her brother's just fine."
"We will," Dean replied, nodding his head.
"That Hailey girls quite a pistol isn't she," Athena said, her accent again changing to suit the area. Dean showed the least surprise out of the group, having heard her done it before, but they all shifted slightly.
"That's putting it mildly," the man said. He turned away from them, to return to his desk and Dean ushered the group out, as if to leave. He turned back, on a thought.
"Actually you know what would help is if I could show her a copy of that backcountry permit you know so she could see her brothers return date." Dean asked hopefully. The man nodded, and walked over to a drawer. he pulled it open, selected the right file and copied it quickly, handing the still warm copy to Dean. "Thanks," He said before leading the way outside with the group behind him, Sam shaking his head.
"What? Are you cruisin' for a hook-up or something?" He questioned his older brother.
Dean turned towards Sam, confused. "What do you mean?"
"The coordinates point to Black Water Ridge, so what are we waiting for? Let's just go find dad. I mean, why even talk to this girl?" He asked.
Dean shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe we should actually know what we're heading into before we actually head into it," He said.
"What?" Sam questioned.
"Well, since when are you all "shoot first asks questions later" anyhow?" He questioned.
"Since now," Sam stated.
"Oh really?" Dean asked.
"Yes!" Sam exclaimed. "What does it even matter?" He questioned. "We know where we need to go, so why go talk to Hailey?" He asked.
"Because I wanna know what this thing is," Dean stated.
Sam shook his head and started to retort, but Adriana stopped him. "Just let it go, Sam. We'll go talk to her and see what's going on, all right?" Sam took a deep breath before nodding. He slid into the drivers seat of the Impala and drove where Dean directed him. He killed the engine as he pulled up to the house of Collins. Dean walked up the path, knocking on the door and stepping back. A girl of about 25 opened it, but left the screen door closed.
"You must be Hailey Collins. I'm Dean, this is Sam, Adriana and Athena," he said, pointing to each in turn. "We're rangers with the park service. Ranger Wilkinson sent us over, we wanted to ask you some questions about your brother Tommy." The girl raised her eyebrows.
"He sent all four of you over?"
Dean nodded. "Yes, ma'am," He told her.
"Let me see some ID," She stated.
Dean nodded and held up his ID badge to her. "Here ya go."
She studied it for a moment through the screen door before nodding her head and opening the door for them. "Come in," She said, stepping aside.
Dean nodded. "Thanks."
"That yours?" She asked nodding to the Impala.
"Yeah," Dean said.
Hailey smiled. "Nice car," She said before turning her back to them and leading the way inside. Dean's eyes widened in surprise for a moment before he turned towards Sam, a smirk in place. Sam shook his head, pushing past his brother as Hailey led the way into the kitchen. "This is my brother, Ben." She motioned to the a younger man who was sitting at the table.
Ben nodded to everyone. Dean rolled his eyes in annoyance as Ben smiled sheepishly at Adriana before glancing back down. "Oh, brother," He mumbled under his breath and Sam laughed.
"Ben, this is Dean, Sam, Athena and Adriana," Hailey introduced each one, waving a hand at them when she said their names.
"So, if Tommy's not due back for a while, how do you know something's wrong?" Sam asked.
Hailey brought a pot of spaghetti sauce out of the kitchen and placed it on the table in front of Ben. "He checks in everyday by cell," She said placing a hand on her hip and the other on the back of Ben's chair. "He emails photos and stupid little videos... but we haven't heard anything from him in three days now," She explained.
"Maybe he can't get cell reception?" Athena suggested.
Hailey shook her head. "He's got a satellite phone, too."
"Could it be he's just having fun and forgot to check in?" Dean asked.
Ben shook his head, speaking up for the first time. "He wouldn't do that," He said a bit harshly and Dean gave the kid a look.
Hailey sighed, stepping closer to her brother. "Our parents are gone. It's just my two brothers and me. We all keep pretty close tabs on each other," She explained.
"Can I see the pictures he sent you?" Sam enquired politely.
"Yeah," Hailey said, flipping the laptop open. She pulled up several images.
"That's Tommy," she said, pointing to a man of about 28 with dark hair. She played a video of Tommy sitting in a tent, basically reporting what he'd done that day. His voice sounded tinny over the laptop.
"Hey Hailey, day six, we're still out near Blackwater Ridge, we're fine, keeping safe, so don't worry, talk to you tomorrow." Sam frowned at the screen and Adriana moved closer, also spotting whatever had perplexed Sam.
'Well, we'll find your brother. We're headed out to Blackwater first thing in the morning," Dean said confidently.
"Then maybe I'll see you there," Hailey said. Dean looked down at her in surprise. She sighed.
"Look, I can't sit around here anymore, so I hired a guide. I'm heading out in the morning and I'm gonna find Tommy myself," she explained, almost daring them to argue.
"I think I know how ya feel," Dean told her, casting a small glance at Sam. Their family bond was the most important thing ever to him. Sam looked up from the video.
"Hey, do you mind forwarding these to me?" he asked Hailey.
"Sure," she said, clicking a few buttons.
"Well, we best be off Hailey. See you in the morning perhaps?" Dean asked. She nodded.
"Not perhaps. Definitely."
They all trooped out of her small house, Sam discussing something avidly with Adriana, Athena silently sulking. They turned back down the main street to the motel they had seen earlier. It was the same old routine. Once again, the motel only had two beds and a couch. They all shared a room because if anything happened during the night, it was easier to have all four of them in the same place. Adriana looked around. From her college life back to her hunting one. She couldn't say she was overly pleased with this, but Sam had asked her to come and so she had.
"All right," Dean began. "We all know Sam and Adriana are gonna share a bed, so Athena, do you want the bed or couch?"
Athena cocked an eyebrow at him. "Are you offering me my choice?"
Dean nodded then shrugged. "I'm feeling generous. Take it or leave it," He stated.
Athena grinned. "I'll take the bed," She stated and Dean nodded as he tossed his stuff onto the couch and sat down. He glanced over at Sam and Adriana who were still standing in the middle of the room, not moving towards the bed. "Do you two need a personal invitation?"
"How are you gonna decide for us where we're sleeping?" Adriana questioned him and he simply shrugged at her.
"Easy. I just did."
"Dean Winchester, one day you will realise the world doesn't conform to your every whim," Adriana said pissily, as she dumped hers and Sam's bags at the foot of the same bed. Sam swallowed uncomfortably. Dean raised his eyebrows at Sam, as if to challenge him. So Sam crossed the room and lay down on the bed.
"Good, We're settled then," Dean said rather smugly, settling down on the couch.
"So it would seem," Sam muttered as he grabbed a pillow and put it over his face. Adriana giggled at him and poked him in the stomach. She was sitting on the floor leaning against the bed.
"Ow! That hurt Drie," Sam whined as he pulled the pillow off his face and fake pouted.
"You're silly Sammy!"
Dean sat up a bit, staring at the two. "Are you high, Drie?" He asked and his questioned was received with a pillow being thrown at his head.
"Dean, shut it." She glared at him as he threw the pillow back at her. She stood up and chucked it back. He caught it and laughed.
"Are you seriously going to have a pillow fight? This isn't a sleepover, Drie," Dean teased her as Athena glared at the petite blonde, a look that didn't go unnoticed by Dean.
"You take all the fun out of life," Adriana stated as she walked over to Dean to take her pillow back from him, but he refused to give it to her. "Dean, give me the pillow."
Dean shook his head. "You threw it at me, so I'm keeping it." He placed it behind his head and laid back against it, a smug look on his face.
She grabbed the pillow and tried to yank it out from underneath him, but Dean held onto it tightly. "Dean!" She exclaimed.
"You're mistake for throwing it at me."
"Give it back!" she yelled, yanking it and putting all her body weight behind it. Of course, Dean had a lot more muscle on it, so her grip slipped and she tumbled onto the ground. She sat up, unharmed, but severely annoyed. Athena smirked at the girl on the ground, and Adriana, irrationally annoyed by everything, whirled on her.
"You know what? What the hell is your problem?" she asked, drawing up to her full height and putting her hands aggressively on her hips. Athena looked affronted.
"What's my problem?" she asked, snorting with laughter. This boiled Adriana over even more.
"Drie. Calm down," Sam said from the bed.
"Let 'em work it out, Sammy," Dean called from the couch.
"Dean, you might want to see a cat fight, but I don't. I want to go to sleep without having the fear of Adriana murdering me in my sleep. You're not the one sharing a bed with her," Sam told his brother with a roll of his eyes.
"No seriously Sammy. There is some unresolved tension between those two. Let them work it out," He said adamantly.
Sam shook his head. "No-"
"You know what, Athena," Adriana snapped, her voice low and harsh. "I've had about enough of your attitude." The girl's blue eyes were dark. Dean shook his head at Sam as he moved to calm her, and Sam, for once, stopped.
"I could say the same to you, Adriana," the older girl retorted. She didn't bother to move. That was one of the major differences in the two. Adriana fought with her entire body, she let you know what she thought of her. But Athena only did what she could be bothered doing, and that wasn't usually much.
"You know what? I'm sick of your attitude. Ever since I showed up-"
"Ever since you showed up I've been thrown to the back seat!" Athena snapped sitting up, the blaze in her eyes matching the one in Adriana's. "I've taken second place to you, Princess!"
"So don't blame me! It's not my fault!" she yelled at the taller girl. Dean shot Sam a glance, sensing that they were about to fall under the wrath of Athena.
"Oh yes it is honey, you hadn't shown up, they wouldn't have forgotten that I've saved their sorry asses on more than one occasion!" Athena yelled at Adriana, speaking as if the 'sorry asses' were not in the room.
"Well maybe you should work harder to try and convince them! You only know them because of your stupid, pigheaded, arrogant cocky actions!" Adriana yelled right back. Athena glared and slid off the bed, towering over Adriana's petite form, but contrary to what most girls would have done, Adriana didn't back down. She stood her ground, glaring up at the taller girl.
"I'm not afraid of you, so you can stop towering over me. I've taken down bigger things than you could even dream of," She stated, her eyes a dark blue. "So, it's in your best interest to just walk away and leave me the hell alone." Athena glared at the girl one final time.
"I'm out," she said, grabbing her bag and storming out of the room. The door slammed behind her, and Adriana unclenched her fists. Both of the boys looked at her.
"What?" she snapped.
"Nothin', nothin'" Dean said quickly.
"Let's get out of here for a bit," Sam suggested diplomatically. Adriana sighed and stared at the door, before nodding. She grabbed her jacket and crossed the room, waiting at the door for the Winchesters. Dean walked ahead and Adriana went to follow, but Sam caught her arm.
"You okay?" he asked her gently, looking deep into her blue eyes.
"Yeah I'm fine Sam. Thanks," she said softly before making her way down to the car. Athena was no where in the near vicinity of the motel. They climbed in the Impala and made their way to the local bar, the Black Water Ale House. They all took seats in a booth, Adriana slumped over the table.
"Stop being melodramatic and help us "sorry asses"," Dean said. Adriana cracked a smile and sat up, pushing her hair out of her face. Sam rolled his eyes before pulling out a stack of newspapers.
"So Black Water doesn't get a lot of traffic, local campers mostly. But still, this past April, two hikers went missing out there, they were never found," he said, indicating to an article. Dean picked it up and read it briefly before handing it to Adriana.
"Any before that?"
"Yeah in 1982, eight different people all vanished in the same year. Authorities said it was a grizzly attack. And again in 1959 and again before that in 1936. Every 23 years, just like clockwork." He stopped talking to pull out his laptop. "Okay watch this. Here's a clincher. I downloaded that guy, Tommy's, video to the laptop. Check this out." He pressed a button and the video advanced frame by frame. It showed a large shadow moving across the back of the tent. Dean leaned forward.
"Do it again." Sam rewound it and repeated the sequence.
"That's three frames. A fraction of a second. Whatever that thing is, it can move," Sam said, tapping the laptop's screen.
Dean hit Sam's shoulder. "Told ya there was something weird going on."
Sam rolled his eyes. "Yeah. I got one more thing. In '59, one camper survived this supposed grizzle attack," He told his brother. "Just a kid. Barely crawled out of the woods alive."
"Is there a name?"
Sam smiled. "Of course. Daniel Shaw. I even have his address."
Dean nodded. "Okay. So, we'll go check him out tomorrow and see what his story is. But for now," He paused to take a sip of his beer. "Let's enjoy ourselves and have some fun."
"Enjoy ourselves how?" Sam asked. "Adriana's underage, so she can't drink. And you're the only one who's likely to pick up a hook-up."
Dean shook his head. "Drie's picked up a few hook-ups when she was hunting with us." Sam shot him a deadly glare but Dean had already turned away, sweeping the bar for an eligible woman. There weren't many to choose from but Dean expected nothing less in a small town bar. There was a thirty-ish blonde playing pool with a couple of other men. He decided to give her a miss for the present time. He continued his gaze until he saw a brunette hiding in the corner. Time to have some fun.