A/N: Alright everyone, I want you to remember that this particular episode aired in October of 2006, so some of the information about a particular band in this chapter is because of this reason. I just wanted to warn everyone of that.
The night we bring John's body back to Bobby's we set up a pyre and burn his body. It's not just something they do in the Star Wars movies. All hunters do it so the bodies don't serve as vessels for Demons, and so that their spirits can be at rest. The three of us just watch the flames burn up John. I feel my eyes well up with tears. This man was a protector of mine. A teacher. A father figure. Dean stands to my left and Sam stands on the other side of him. The tears finally fall, but I quickly try to wipe them away. Sam breaks the silence among the three of us.
"Before he...before he...did he say anything to you?" He asks Dean. I can hear the sadness in his voice. "About anything?" I look up at Dean as Sam and I wait for his answer.
"No." He answers flatly. "Nothing." I see the tears in his eyes that he isn't letting fall. I grab his hand to tell him it's okay without saying a single word. He doesn't look away from the fire, but I see a tear run down his face before I look back at the burning body of one of the strongest men I've ever known.
-One Week Later-
Dean has been working on the Impala since we got back. We haven't really talked much. Sam and I have been training in the meantime. I started out on my own. It was my usual work out session. I would do a bit of yoga on a patch of grass deep in the junkyard, to stretch out. Even on the nice grass I would usually have a towel under me. Next, I would spar with the air, throwing punches and kicks at an invisible attacker. Then I would do a couple laps around the junkyard before doing some more yoga to settle down.
I used to do all of this with my earbuds in until I almost punched Sam in the face. We joked about it a little before Sam asked to join me. I agreed, and he became my sparring partner. He wasn't too excited about the yoga, but that didn't stop me from making him do it. I still have my music playing in one ear while we do each move, and Sam eventually asks about the music blasting through the other earbud.
"For such a calming thing like yoga, that seems like some intense music you're listening to." He chuckles as we go into warrior pose.
"To me this is calming music." I smile.
"Who is it?" He asks.
"You wouldn't know who it is." I answer.
"I didn't ask if I knew who it was." He chuckles again.
"It's a band called Paramore." I answer. "Spelled with an 'o-r-e' instead of an 'o-u-r'." I clarify. They're fairly new. I think they just released their first album last year."
"Hmm." Sam reacts.
"Yeah, I picked up the CD at some random store in my travels." I tell him. "I was able to put the music on Bobby's computer then load it on the iPod that I found in the junkyard."
Once we're done with our first yoga session of the day we spar for a bit before going on our run. We race each other and I can't help but laugh as Sam tries to speed past me only to trip over a rock in his path. I stop to make sure he's okay, still laughing, when he gets up and runs past me.
"Cheater!" I shout as I speed off to chase him. He beats me, obviously. As I catch my breath I look over to see the shell of the Impala with Dean's legs sticking out from under it. I look back at Sam and he shrugs. "How about we skip the ending yoga session." I say, out of breath. "I'm gonna go shower then make some sandwiches." I tell him.
"Okay." Sam agrees. I turn to Dean.
"Hey, you want anything for lunch?" I ask him, loud enough for him to hear me.
"I'm all set, thanks." He answers. I huff in frustration before stomping inside. I take a quick shower and get dressed in a pair of light wash jeans, a Marvel graphic tee, and my combat boots. I head to the kitchen and make myself a couple peanut butter and fluff sandwiches. As I eat one Sam comes down and takes the other one. He scarfs it down before heading outside. I look to Bobby in the next room. He just shrugs. I finish my sandwich, grab a bottle of water and head out to water my boyfriend. I laugh at that in my head. When I get out there I see Sam and Dean arguing.
"Say something, alright?! Hell, say anything!" Sam yells. "Aren't you angry?! Don't you want revenge?! But all you do is you sit out here, all day long, buried underneath this damn car."
"Revenge, huh?" Dean asks.
"Yeah."
"Sounds good." Dean replies. "Got any leads on where the demon is? Makin' heads or tails of any of dad's research? Cuz I sure ain't." I take a deep breath before walking to join them. "You know, when we do finally find it, oh, no, wait, like you said, the colt's gone. But I'm sure you figured out another way to kill it while you're running around and doing yoga with Shelby."
"Watch it!" I yell as I come up behind Sam and throw the bottle of water at Dean. He catches it clumsily. "I'll make you join us." He pauses as he looks down at the bottle of water in his hand.
"I'm just sayin' we got nothin'." He says as he opens the bottle and drinks some of it. "So, you know the only thing I can do is I can work on the car." He points to the shell of Baby with the bottle still in his hand.
"At least something's getting touched by you." I whisper under my breath.
"What?" Dean shoots at me.
"You know exactly what I said." I shoot back at him. He just glares at me before crouching down by the car.
"Well, we got somethin', alright?" Sam says. "It's what I came out here to tell you." He takes out a phone and presses a few buttons on it as he speaks. "It's one of dad's old phones. It took me a while, but I cracked his voicemail code. Listen to this." He puts the phone on speaker so Dean and I can hear it.
"John, it's Ellen...again." The voice immediately rings bells, and I smile. "Look, don't be stubborn. You know I can help you. Call me."
"How old is that message?" I ask Sam as I pull out my own cell.
"Four months." He answers.
"Dad saved that chick's message for four months?" Dean asks.
"Yeah." Sam replies.
"Well, who's Ellen?" Dean asks as I dial Ellen on my phone and walk away from the boys. It rings until I get the answering machine.
"Hey Ellen, It's Shelby. Are you screening me? Because you are becoming a lot like John in that respect if you are. Anyway, I just wanted to say that I'll be visiting soon. I guess I'll see you when I get there." I leave the message and I walk back to the guys.
"Hey, do you know if there are any cars Bobby would let us use?" Dean asks me. "Sam got an address." I think for a second and chuckle.
"I know one he'll let us take, but you aren't gonna like it." I say as I lead them over to an old beat up van. "This is it." I say, gesturing to the van.
"You gotta be kidding me." Dean says.
"I'll go tell Bobby we're going." I tell the boys. They grab a few things, including a maroon leather jacket, as I tell Bobby we're going to see Ellen. He gives me the keys to the van and the three of us were off with Dean driving. We drive up to the bar Ellen owns, Roadhouse, and Dean parks.
"This is humiliating." Dean says as he takes the keys out of the ignition. All of us get out of the van. "I feel like a friggin' soccer mom."
"It's the only running car we have." I tell him. "So, suck it up, babe." The boys go around trying to see if anyone was there. I try the doorknob, but it's locked. It is the day time, so the bar is closed right now. Dean comes over and picks the lock. When we walk in my eyes go to the passed out man on the pool table at the back of the bar. I smile and shake my head as I immediately sit at one of the bar stools. The boys look at me like I'm crazy until an electrical spark distracts them. They walk over to the pool table to try and talk to the man passed out on it.
"Hey, buddy?" Sam asks to try and wake him up. I see Dean walk closer. "I'm guessin' that isn't Ellen."
"Nope." I say from my seat at the bar. Sam goes into the hallway that leads to the kitchen and the bedrooms. I shake my head and look down at the bar top I pick at a few loose slivers until Dean says something.
"Oh, God, please let that be a rifle." I turn around to see Jo cocking said rifle with the muzzle on Dean's back.
"No, I'm just real happy to see you." I chuckle at her words and she looks over at me.
"What's your deal?" Dean asks.
"Shelby?" Jo asks. I nod my head, but Dean starts turning around. Jo tenses up a bit. "Don't move." She tells him.
"Not moving...copy that."
"Rifle 101, Jo." I tell her. "When you put one on someone, you don't want to put it right against their back."
"Why?" She asks. I wink at Dean.
"'Cause it makes it real easy to do..." Dean starts before spinning around and grabbing the rifle from her hands. He unloads it. "...That." Jo then punches him right in the nose and takes the rifle back. "Sam!" He shouts as I rush over to him. "We need some help in here."
"You alright, babe?" I ask, trying not to laugh. "And we don't need help in here." I tell him.
"I can't see." Dean says as I grab his face. "I can't even see."
"Oh,you'll be fine." I tell him. "You don't know what not being able to see is." I giggle as I kiss his cheek. I hear the swinging door open, and I look over to see Sam with his hands on his head.
"Sorry, Dean." Sam says. "I can't help right now. I'm, uh, a little tied up." Finally, I see Ellen holding a gun to Sam's head.
"Alright, alright, everyone just calm down." I say. "Ellen they're with me. These are the Winchester brothers." She looks to me with surprise.
"Shelby." She says. Then she looks at the two boys. "Sam and Dean Winchester?"
"Yeah." The three of us say.
"Son of a bitch." She says.
"Didn't you get my message?" I ask.
"Yeah, but you didn't say anything about bringing John Winchester's boys with you." She says. Sam and Dean both look at me.
"You know them?" Dean asks.
"Yeah. I hung around this place a lot after... Well, you know." I say, not wanting to say it and not needing to say it. Everyone in the room knew what I was talking about. Ellen then laughs to break the tension in the room and lowers her gun.
"Hey, I'm Ellen." She says. Then she gestures to Jo. "That's my daughter, Jo."
"Hey." Jo says. I look to the pool table.
"You're not gonna hit me again are ya?" Dean asks her.
"Not unless I say she can." I joke as take off my jacket to get comfortable and walk over to the pool table. Ellen gets Dean some ice to help him with the punch to his face. I sit on the pool table. I'm just wondering how long it will take him to wake up.
"You called our dad, said you could help...help with what?" Dean asks Ellen.
"Well, the demon, of course." She answers. "I heard he was closing in on it."
"Was there an article in the Demon Hunter's Quarterly that I missed?" Dean asks. "I mean, who are you? How do you know about all this?"
"Hey, I just run a saloon." Ellen answers. "But, hunters have been known to pass through now and again. Including your dad, a long time ago. John was like family once."
"Oh yeah? How come he's never mentioned you before?" Dean asks.
"You'd have to ask him that." I snap my head to look over at her and shake my head vigorously. She looks at me with confusion.
"So, why exactly do we need your help?" Dean asks.
"Hey, don't do me any favors." Ellen tells them. "Look, if you don't want my help, fine. Don't let the door smack your ass on the way out. But John wouldn't have sent you if..."
"Ellen." I say. She looks to me and I shake my head. Her eyes go wide as she realizes what I'm trying to tell her.
"He didn't send you." She says. The boys stay silent and so do I. "He's alright, isn't he?" I look down at my lap as Sam answers.
"No," He says. "No, he isn't." I wipe at the tear making its way down my cheek. "It was the demon, we think. Umm. It just got him before he got it, I guess."
"I'm so sorry." Ellen says.
"It's okay." Dean says. "We're alright."
"Really, I know how close you and your dad w-"
"Really, lady, I'm fine." Dean interrupts her. I look up and Ellen meets my gaze, questioning if his words are the truth. I shake my head 'no'.
"So, look, if you can help..." Sam says. "We could use all the help we can get."
"Well, we can't." Ellen says. Then she looks towards me with a smile. "But Ash will." I look at the man laying on the pool table I'm currently sitting on.
"Who's Ash?" Sam asks. I lean down close to Ash's ear and whisper something I know he'll wake up for.
"Hey, Ashy Boy." I coo. "You better wake up or I'll cut off your beautiful mullet." He jolts up.
"Don't you even dare!" He shouts, and I can't help but laugh.
"Like I could ever kill that majestic creature." I tell him with a smile. He looks at me with shock.
"Shelly!" He shouts and pulls me in for the best hug I've had in a really long time.
"That's Ash?" I hear Sam ask.
"Mm-hmm. He's a genius." Jo tells him.
"I feel like I haven't seen you in a lifetime." Ash says to me.
"I know, it's been too long." I agree. "Any replacements lately?" I ask as I pull out of the hug.
"Not really. It's hard for anyone to live up to you in every way." He winks at me.
"Excuse me?" Dean asks, standing from his seat. His tone is very defensive.
"Ash, this is my boyfriend, Dean, and his brother Sam." I introduce. Ash walks up to Dean with a cocky pep in his step.
"So this is Dean." He says. He looks him up and down, then looks to me. "I thought he'd be taller."
"Oh, you think that's funny, do you?" Dean asks. I immediately get in between them.
"Ash, Dean is going through a rough time in his life. You'll have to forgive his hot temper right now." Then I turn to Dean. "And Dean, Ash helped me through a rough time in my life, so back off." I say firmly. Dean glares at Ash, and I flick his nose, knowing it'll hurt because of Jo's punch from earlier. "Stop it." Ash moves over to sit at the bar and Sam sets all of John's research on the demon in front of him.
"You gotta be kiddin' me. This guy's no genius. He's a Lynyrd Skynyrd roadie."
"Dean." I reprimand.
"I like you." Ash says a he leans back a little. "I'm glad you and Shelly made up."
"Thanks." Dean says. I roll my eyes.
"Just give 'im a chance." Jo says from the other side of the bar. She sets down a shot of jack in front of me. "I figure you're gonna need it." She whispers to me. I immediately throw it back, feeling it go down my throat. I hand the glass back to her.
"Thanks." I tell her.
"Alright." Dean says as he takes a seat. "Well, this stuff's about a year's worth of our dad's work, so let's see what you make of it." Ash opens the large envelope and pulls out all of the papers and research. He quickly looks through it.
"Come on. This crap ain't real." Ash says. "Ain't nobody can track a demon like this." I look to the boys before looking to Ash.
"John could." I tell him.
"These are nonparametric statistical overviews, cross spectrum correlations. I mean...damn." Ash says as he picks up one paper in particular. "They're signs, omens. Uh, if you can track 'em, you can track this demon. You know, like crop failures, electrical storms. You ever been struck by lightning?" He asks. "It ain't fun." I chuckle at that.
"Can you track it or not?" Sam asks.
"Yeah, with this, I think so." Ash answers him. "But it's gonna take time. Uh, gimme..." I can see him calculating the time he'll need in his head. "51 hours." He then gathers all the pages and heads back to his room.
"Hey, man!" Dean shouts to get his attention.
"Yeah." Ash says turning around.
"By the way, I uh dig the haircut." Dean says. I smile at Ash, and subconsciously I start playing with my hair.
"All business up front..." Ash says as he points to his hair. "Party in the back." He finishes as he runs his hand through his hair to the end. As he leaves I bite my lip.
"What are you doing?" I hear Dean ask me. I snap out of my actions and look back at the boys.
"What?" I ask.
"You're playin' with your hair and biting your lip." Dean says. I look to Sam next to him, and he's trying not to laugh. "What're you horny or somethin'?"
"Maybe I wouldn't be if I got any in the past week." I tell him as I get up and go into the kitchen area to see if I can make anything. I hear Sam 'oooh', then 'ow' as Dean punches him in the arm. I just laugh to myself. When I find nothing I'm really craving enough to cook myself I come back into the bar area and sit on the barstool Ash had been sitting on before. I see Jo walk around the bar before heading over to clean the tables on the other side of the room. I see the way she was eyeing Dean, and I roll my eyes. I can tell she already has a crush on him. I mean, who wouldn't? But he's with me, and she is way too young. I look to Dean, seeing him following her with his eyes. I hit his arm.
"Ow!" He says, looking back at me. "What was that for?"
"Really?" I ask. "You really have to ask why I did that? She's the age we were when we first started going out. She is off-limits, even for flirting."
"Oh, come on. I'm not flirting with her." Dean tells me.
"Are you kidding me? Your eyes are always flirting." I tell him. "She's practically like my baby sister with how much I hung out here."
"What, you didn't spend the whole time sucking face with Mullet?" I chuckle at the nickname.
"It's not like it got any farther than that." I tell him. He scoffs at my words.
"Sure it didn't." He says.
"I know it didn't." I hear Ellen pipe up in my defense. We look up at her. "Their make out sessions were bad enough."
"Yeah, so let's not talk about it unless you'd like to tell me about all the women you've been with in the time we weren't together." I say. "I'm sure you did plenty more than just make out." I state the truth. We fall into a slight silence until Sam asks Ellen something.
"Hey, Ellen, what is that?" He asks, pointing to the counter behind the bar. I follow the direction of his finger, but I still don't know what he's pointing at.
"It's a police scanner." Ellen answers. "We, uh, we keep tabs on things-" This is when Dean swivels around in the barstool and walks over to the table Jo is currently cleaning. I stare daggers at his back. What is he doing?
"No, no, no, no. Um, the folder." Sam interrupts her. I look back at the counter and next to the police scanner is a folder with red writing on it. Ellen pauses before walking back to go get the folder and bringing it over to us.
"Uh...I was gonna give this to a friend of mine," She starts. "But take a look if you want."
"Thanks." Sam says as she sets the folder on the bar in front of him. I move to the barstool Dean had been sitting in to get a closer look at the contents of the folder.
Dean's POV
I'm not up for digging into anything other than the one demon we've been trying to track down our whole lives. So, when Sam points out the file on the back counter I decide to remove myself from the situation. I figure, if Jo is like a little sister to Shelby, maybe I should get to know her a little more.
"So," I say to get the young girl's attention as I sit at one of the tables close to where she is. "How'd your mom get into this stuff, anyway?"
"My dad." She answers. "He was a hunter...He passed away." That's got me thinking about my own dad.
"I'm sorry."
"It was a long time ago." She tells me. "I was just a kid. Sorry to hear about your dad."
"Yeah." I say, looking down at the table. "So, uh, I guess I got 51 hours to waste." I say. "Maybe tonight we should uh..." What am I saying? I look back at Shelby, looking at the folder with Sam. I sigh before looking back at Jo. This girl is like Shelby's sister. She's practically family, and if I'm really that up for something I have Shel. "Oh, you know what? Never mind."
"What?" She asks.
"Nothin', just uh...wrong place, wrong time." I tell her. She looks past me to the bar where I looked.
"You know, I thought you were gonna toss me some cheap pick-up line." She tells me. I just chuckle to myself. "Most hunters come through that door think they can get in my pants with some pizza, a six-pack, and side one of 'Zeppelin IV'."
"W-w-what a bunch of scumbags." I stutter. I have done that before.
"When Shelby was around, she'd toss them out...literally." She tells me. "Sometimes she'd throw a few punches, too. But only if she knew they already had girlfriends. And, you aren't one of those guys."
"I guess not."
"Dean," I hear Shelby get my attention. "Come here. Check this out." I take a deep breath and stand up before walking up behind Shelby.
"Yeah." I say, as I wrap my arms around Shelby.
Shelby's POV
I call Dean over and he walks up behind me. He wraps his arms around my middle and kisses my neck before actually looking at the pages in front of us. What is up with him?
"A few murders, not far from here, that Ellen caught wind of." Sam says. "Looks to us like there might be a hunt."
"Yeah, so?" Dean asks.
"So," I say. "I told her we'd check it out." I tell him. He does not seem so excited. He lets out a sigh before dropping his forehead to my shoulder. "You can get back to working on the car when we're all done with this." I tell him as I reach up and pet his hair to try and comfort him.
I grab my jacket, and we're off to get ready for the trip, and by nightfall we're on our way. Sam and I explain the case and he is not excited at all.
"You gotta be kidding me." He says. "Killer clown?"
"Yeah." Sam says. "He left the daughter unharmed and killed the parents."
"Ripped them to pieces, actually." I clarify.
"And the family was at some carnival that night?" Dean asks.
"Right, right the, uh, Cooper Carnival." Sam says.
"So, how do you know we're not dealing with some psycho carny in a clown suit?" Dean asks.
"Well the cops have no viable leads." Sam says.
"And, all the employees were tearing down shop." I add. "They all had alibis."
"Plus, the girl said she saw a clown vanish into thin air." Sam continues. "Cops are sayin' trauma, of course."
"Well, I know what you're thinking, Sam." Dean says. Sam and I both look at him. "'Why'd it have to be clowns?'" I smile at that.
"Oh, gimme a break." Sam says. Dean laughs.
"You didn't think I remembered, did you?"
"Don't be mean." I say to Dean, but I still have a smile plastered on my face.
"I mean, come on, you still bust out cryin' whenever you see Ronald McDonald on the television."
"At least he's not scared of flyin'." I point out.
"Planes crash!" Dean shouts.
"And apparently, clowns kill." Sam points out. Dean pauses before getting back to the case.
"So, these type of murders," He starts. "They ever happen before?" Sam looks at the file in front of him with his flashlight.
"Uh, according to the file, 1981, The Bunker Brother's Circus." Sam says. "Same M.O. It happened three different times, three different locales."
"It's weird though, if it's a spirit, it's usually bound to a specific locale." Dean points out. "You know, a house or a town."
"So, how's this one moving from city to city?" I ask. "Carnival to carnival?"
"Cursed object, maybe." Dean suggests. "Spirit attaches itself to something, and the, uh, carnival carries it around with them."
"Great," Sam says. "Paranormal scavenger hunt."
"This case was Shel's idea." Dean says.
"Yeah, but I agreed to it." Sam says.
"By the way, why is that?" Dean asks. "You two were awfully quick to jump on this job."
"So?" Sam and I say at the same time.
"It's just not like you, that's all." Dean says. "I thought you were hell-bent for leather on the demon hunt."
"I don't know," Sam says. "I just think takin' this job, it's what dad would've wanted us to do."
"What dad would've wanted?" I roll my eyes at Dean's words. Here we go.
"Yeah." Sam answers. "So?"
"Nothin'." Dean says. I lean back as silence grows in the van. At least I don't have to listen to them argue the whole way. I end up falling into a dreamless sleep, and when I wake up it's light out and we've just parked outside of the carnival. I look out the windshield to see the police talking to the carnies. "Check it out...Five-O"
"That's not good." I say as I yawn. All three of us get out of the van.
"Alright, Shelby, you stay with Sammy while I go talk to the cops." Dean says. I give him a thumbs up as Sam and I hang out by one of the rides. I try to wake myself up as Sam looks at her crazy ride behind us. An extremely short woman walks by dressed in brightly colored clothing, but stops to look at us. I can tell Sammy was growing tense next to me, so I put a hand on his back to calm him down.
"Good morning, Miss. Nice day out, huh?" I ask the small woman. She says nothing as she continues to walk away from us. He lets out a breath as I rub his back. "It's okay, Sammy, I got your back." I say with a smile. I look up to see Dean coming back to us.
"Did you get her number?" Dean asks his brother. Sam just looks at him.
"More murders?" I ask.
"Two more last night." Dean answers. "Apparently, they were ripped to shreds, and they had a little boy with them."
"Who fingered a clown." Sam guesses. Dean and I look to Sam. He looks to Dean and then me. "What?" He asks.
"Yes, a clown, who apparently vanished into thin air." Dean explains.
"Same M.O." I state the obvious.
"Dean, you know, looking for a cursed object, It's like trying to find a needle in a stack of needles." Sam says. "It could be anything."
"Well, it's bound to give off EMF, so we'll just have to scan everything." Dean says.
"This is gonna be a long day." I say to myself.
"Oh, good." Sam says in a fake excited voice. "That's nice and inconspicuous."
"We'll have to blend in somehow." I say. Dean looks over at a 'help wanted' sign. "I guess we're runnin' off with the circus boys." I walk over to one of the workers and ask who we talk to about getting a job. They point us in the direction of one of the tents. I thank them and lead the boys to the tent. Inside is a man throwing knives at a target. I watch in amazement as he hits the bulls eye every single time. It's like it's second nature to him.
"Excuse me. We're lookin' for a Mr. Cooper." Dean says to the man. "Have you seen him around?" The man turns around, but his mannerisms send me a hint of why he's in the circus just throwing knives at a target.
"What is that?" The man asks. "Some kind of joke?" I pull on Dean's sleeve to get his ear closer to me so I can whisper to him.
"He's blind, babe." I tell him. The man takes his thick glasses off to confirm my comment.
"Oh, God, I-I-I'm sorry." Dean says, but the man talks over him.
"You think I wouldn't give my eyeteeth to see Mr. Cooper or a sunset or anything at all?"
"Wanna give me a little help here?" Dean asks Sam and I.
"Not really." Sam says.
"I'm really sorry, sir." I say. "My boyfriend is not very observant. I offer my deepest apologies." I see the man smile. before another voice comes into the tent.
"Hey, Barry, is there a problem?" All three of us turn to look at the new addition to the area. It's a small man in a multi-colored outfit.
"No, no. Just a misunderstanding." The blind man, Barry, says.
"If you say so." The small man says before looking to me. "Hey, Sweety. You on the market?"
"I'm very flattered, but I'm actually taken." I say as I grab Dean's hand.
"Hm, too bad." The small man says. He continues to look at me, and it makes me feel a bit uncomfortable.
"Okay, okay. Get your little wandering eyes outta here?" Dean says.
"Little?" The guy asks, getting defensive. "You son of a bitch."
"No, no, no, no!" Dean tries to defend himself. "I'm just-could somebody tell me where Mr. Cooper is?" I hear Sam laugh, and I send a glare his way.
"Stop it, Sammy." I scold him. I turn to the small man. "Could you please take us to Mr. Cooper?" I ask him.
"Of course, but just for you." He says as he leads the way. We're brought to a trailer. "Hey Bossman!" The small man shouts. "We got some new recruits!" A man opens the door to the trailer and looks at Sam, Dean and I.
"Alright, come on in." The man says, gesturing for us to enter the trailer. "You three picked a hell of a time to join up." He tells us. "Take a seat." There are only two seats in front of the man's desk. One is normal, and the other one looks like it's for a child. It's shaped like clown. Dean quickly picks the normal chair, pulling me into his lap. That means Sam was forced to take the clown chair. "We got all kinds of local trouble." I reach over and pat Sam's hand as he sits down.
"What do you mean." Dean asks the man.
"A couple of folks got themselves murdered." Sam seems extremely uncomfortable sitting in the chair. I feel bad for him. "Cops always seem to start here first. So, you three ever work the circuit before?"
"Uh, yes, sir, last year through Texas and Arkansas." Sam answers.
"Yeah." Dean confirms, and I nod my head.
"Doing what?" Mr. Cooper asks. "Ride jockeys? Pull shoot? A-and-S men?"
"I dealt with concessions a lot." I tell the man. "Sometimes I'd be the one to walk around with the snacks to sell too. I mean, we've done a little bit of everything, now that I really think about it." The man looks at us for a second.
"You three have never worked a show in your lives before, have you?" Mr. Cooper asks, stating the truth. Sam and I are silent.
"Nope." Dean answers with the truth. "But we really need the work. So-and, uh, Sam here's got a thing for the bearded lady." I shoot a glare at Dean as he laughs. When he notices, he stops immediately.
"You see that picture?" Mr. Cooper says as he points to a picture on the wall behind him. "That's my daddy."
"You look just like him." Sam comments.
"He was in the business...ran a freak show 'til they outlawed them most places. Apparently, displaying the deformed isn't dignified." Mr. Cooper tells us. "So, most of the performers went from honest work to rotting in hospitals and asylums. That's progress, I guess." I feel almost guilty, but I don't know why. "You see, this place is a refugee for outcasts, always has been, for folks that don't fit in nowhere else. But you three...you should go to school," He looks to Sam. "Find a girl." Then he looks to Dean and I. "Have 2.5 kids, live regular." His tone is stern, and we just sit there. Sam leans forward.
"Sir...we don't wanna go to school, and we don't want regular." I'm a little surprised at Sam's words. Is that what he thinks now? Does he really not wanna go back to school? Or is he just lying to get in this place. "We want this." Mr. Cooper thinks about his words for a few seconds, but it feels like an eternity.
"Alright, I'll see what I can give ya." He tells us. "Just take a walk around while I dig somethin' up." We thank him as we leave his trailer and walk around the faire has his hands in his jacket pockets, so I thread my arm through the hole his right arm makes.
"Hmm." I hear Dean sound.
"What?" Sam asks him.
"That whole, uh, 'I don't wanna go back to school' thing..." Dean says. "You just sayin' that to Cooper, or were you, you know, sayin' it?" I look to Sam, wondering the same thing. He's silent for a long time.
"Sam?" I ask.
"I don't know." Sam finally answers.
"You don't know?" Dean asks. "I thought that once the demon was dead, and the fat lady sings, that you were gonna take off, head back to wussy state." I smack Dean's arm for the mean comment.
"I'm having second thoughts." Sam says as he stops walking and looks to us, and we stop too.
"Really?" Dean and I ask at the same time.
"Yeah, I think...dad would've wanted me to stick with the job." Sam says.
"Since when do you give a damn what dad wanted?" Dean asks.
"Dean." I try to calm him down, but he keeps going.
"You spent half your life doing what he didn't want, Sam." I rub my forehead in frustration as I pull my arm out of Dean's.
"Since he died, okay?" Sam answers. "You have a problem with that?"
"No," Dean says shaking his head. "I don't have a problem at all." Then he walks ahead of us. I look to Sam and he looks at me. Dean isn't airing out everything. I can tell he hasn't truly grieved yet. He's holding everything back, and it's gonna overflow if he doesn't let it out. I let out a sigh as I reluctantly follow Dean.
Mr. Cooper finds us and tells us he has some work that we could do that doesn't require any training to do. We're excited until he tells us that we're trash detail. We have to pick up the trash thrown on the ground by the customers. I'm not happy about it, but I'm not mad at it either. It'll give us a good cover while we case the place. We get our uniforms and tools before we're pushed out into the carnival. We split up, each of us has an EMF detector. I can not believe how much trash is just thrown on the ground by these people. A bunch of litterers. I see, across the way, Sam put his tools down and head into the exit of a fun house. I look around before going over to ask if there's anything wrong. By the time I get over there, Sam comes out.
"Find anything?" I ask him.
"Hold on." He says as he takes out his cell and dials a number. It's most likely Dean. "Hey, man." He greets. "Very funny." Dean must have made a clown joke. I roll my eyes. "Skeleton actually." Sam says. I get his attention and point towards the fun house. He nods 'yes' to answer me. "In the fun house. Listen, I was thinking, what if the spirit isn't attached to a cursed object. What if it's attached to it's own remains?"
"Did the bones give off EMF?" I ask. Sam looks confused.
"You two are tripping me out." Sam says. We must have said the same thing. "And, well, no, but-"
Dean's POV
"We should check it out anyway." I tell Sam. "I'm heading to you two." I hang up and start heading towards the fun house, but I'm stopped by the blind man grabbing my arm.
"What're you doin' here, kid?" He asks me.
"I'm just sweepin'." I answer.
"Bull." He rejects my answer. "And what were you talkin' about? Skeletons? What's EMF?"
"Dude, your blind-man hearing is out of control." I tell him.
"We're a tight-knit group. We don't like outsiders. We take care of our own problems." He says. "The only one of you three that has a chance of fittin' in here is your girl. At least she's nice to everyone.
"We got a problem?" I ask him.
"You tell me." The man scoffs. "You're the one talkin' about human bones." I think for a second before answering.
"Do you believe in ghosts?" I ask him.
"What?"
"My brother, my girl, and me...um, we're writing a book about 'em." I lie.
Shelby's POV
"What the hell is taking him so long?" I ask Sam.
"Long story, Babe." I hear from behind me.
"Mommy, look at the clown." We hear a kid say. All of us look to see a girl pointing at something.
"What clown?" Her mother asks. I follow where her finger is pointing, but there's nothing there.
"He disappeared." The little girl says.
"Come on, sweety. Come on." The mother says as she leads her daughter away from where they were standing. The three of us look at each other, knowing that this poor girl's parents could be the next target.
We end up keeping an eye on them as they go through with their activities at the carnival. When they go to leave, we quickly get in our van and follow them to their home for a stake out. We don't want another family being hurt by this thing.
"Dean, I cannot believe you told Papasian about the homicidal phantom clown." Sam says as we park in front of the family's home.
"No, I told him an urban legend about a homicidal phantom clown." Dean clarifies. "I never said it was real." He pulls out a sawed off shot gun.
"Whoa, whoa." I say.
"Keep that down." Sam says as he pushes the gun out of sight.
"Oh, and get this." Dean says. "I mentioned the Bunker Brothers Circus in '81 and their, uh, evil-clown apocalypse. Guess what?"
"What?" Sam and I say at the same time.
"Before Mr. Cooper owned Cooper Carnival, he worked for Bunker Brothers." Dean drops the information. "He was their lot manager."
"So, you think, whatever the spirit's attached to Cooper just brought it with him?" Sam asks.
"It's possible." I answer.
"I can't believe we keep talking about clowns." Dean says. I roll my eyes and get comfortable. I have a feeling we'll be here all night. Hours go by without anything. My eyelids start to droop, and I rub at them to wake myself up. Eventually that stops working and I fall asleep. It doesn't feel like a long time before Sam shakes me and Dean awake. We both look at him as he points inside. We look to see the light on in the living room, and the girl is walking through the room.
We quickly get out of the van and find a way into the house through the front door. The little girl must have gone to the back door. We hide as the little girl lets the clown into the house and starts leading him towards our hiding places. Sam is in the living room, and Dean and I are in the dining room. With every step the clown makes I can hear the jingling of bells.
"Wanna see mommy and daddy?" The little girl asks as they both go by Dean and I. "They're upstairs." When they go by Sam he jumps out and grabs the girl to get her out of the way. As she screams Dean and I come out of hiding and aim our guns at the clown.
"Hey!" Dean shouts, making him look towards us. We both fire at him, hitting him in the chest. He falls to the ground, but as we get closer he sits up and looks at us. We make sure our guns are loaded before aiming at it again.
"Sam, watch out!" I shout as he stands up all the way. Before we're able to get another shot at it he jumps through the glass of the front door, shattering it, and he vanishes. What the hell is that thing?" I think to myself.
"What's goin' on here?" Asks the father frantically as he comes downstairs.
"Oh, my God!" The mother yells. "What are you doing to my daughter?"
"Get away from my kid!" The father says in a threatening tone. Sam lets the girl go, and all three of us run out the back door and back to the van.
"Mommy, daddy. They shot my clown." I hear the girl say to her parents before we get outside. We end up ditching the van in the woods somewhere by the time the sun comes up. We take the plates and all of our things, and we make sure that there's nothing that can be tracked to us or Bobby.
"You really think they saw our plates?" Sam asks.
"You can never be too careful, Sammy." I say as I close the sliding door on the driver's side.
"I hate the freakin' thing anyway." Dean adds. We pick up all of our bags and start walking back to town. "Well, one thing's for sure."
"What's that?" Sam asks.
"We're not dealing with a spirit." Dean answers.
"The rock salt definitely hit something solid." I add.
"Yeah, a person?" Sam asks. "Or maybe a creature that can make itself invisible?"
"Yeah, and dressed up like a clown for kicks?" Dean asks.
"Is there anything helpful in John's journal?" I ask.
"Nope." Sam answers. I take out my cell and decide to call Ellen. Dean takes notice.
"Who you callin'?" Dean asks.
"Ellen." I tell him as I try to find her number in my phone. "Maybe her or Ash will know somethin'." I tell him.
"Speakin' of." Sam says. "You think, uh...you think dad and Ellen ever had a thing?" I scoff at the question.
"No way." Dean answers.
"Then why didn't he tell us about her." Sam says. I look up from my phone to the boys.
"I think they had a falling-out." I tell him. "I don't really know much. I figured it was none of my business."
"Yeah." Sam says. "You ever notice dad had a falling-out with just about everybody?" I finally find Ellen's number and dial, bringing it up to my ear. The boys are quiet. There's no answer, and I really don't feel like leaving a message. Phone tag just pisses me off. "Don't get all Maudlin on me, man."
"What do you mean?" Dean asks.
"He's talkin' about the strong, silent thing you're doing." I clarify. "It's stupid, and we're both over it."
"Oh, my God." Dean reacts.
"This isn't just anyone we're talkin' about." Sam says. "This is dad. I know how you felt about the man, and I'm sure Shelby does too."
"You know what, back off, alright?" Dean bites back. "Just because I'm not caring and sharing like you want me to."
"No, no, no. That's not what this is about, Dean." San says. "I don't care how you deal with this, but you have to deal with it, man." I decide to keep quiet, and let them talk it out. "Listen, I'm your brother, alright? I just wanna make sure you're okay."
"Dude, I'm okay!" Dean shouts. "I'm okay! Okay?! The next person who asks me if I'm okay, I'm gonna start throwin' punches."
"I'll take you up on that and throw some punches right back atcha." I say sending a glare his way. He shakes his head.
"These are your issues." Dean says. "Quit dumpin' them on me."
"What are you talkin' about?" Sam asks, stopping to look at Dean who stops too. I huff and stop too.
"I just think it's really interesting, this sudden obedience you have to dad." Dean says to Sam. "It's like, 'oh, what would dad want me to do?' Sam, you spent your entire life slugging it out with that man. I mean, Hell, you picked a fight with him the last time you ever saw him, and now that he's dead, now you wanna make it right? Well, I'm sorry, Sam, but you can't. It's too little too late."
"Why are you sayin' this to me?" Sam asks.
"Because I want you to be honest with yourself about this!" Dean shouts at him. "I'm dealin' with dad's death! Are you?!"
"Sammy, why don't you try Ellen?" I ask as I try to get in between them.
"Yeah, sure." He walks ahead on the road.
"You wouldn't have exploded at him like that if you were truly dealing with this, Dean. He's just trying to help you in the nicest way possible. Clearly it isn't working, so I'll have to be the grown up in this situation and do this the least nice way I know." I say with an assertive tone. "You blow up at him like that again, and I'll deck you on the spot. You hear me?" He scoffs and I see him roll his eyes as he turns to continue walking down the road. I kick at the back of his right knee and he falls to the ground.
"What the Hell, Shel?" Dean ask as he turns to look at her.
"I didn't hear an answer out of you big stupid mouth that loves shouting oh so much." I say as I take a step closer to him and put my finger on the back of my ear. "I'm waiting."
"Fine, I won't yell at Sam." He says.
"Good." He holds up a hand towards me. "What? You're not crippled. Get up on your own." He huffs as I walk by him.
"You know, I don't think you've dealt with it either." He says, stopping me in my tracks.
"What?" I ask, turning back to him. "I know how I grieve." I feel tears prick at the corner of my eyes. "And I will admit, I have not completely grieved John yet, but the last time I grieved the death of someone close to me I didn't leave my room for two months! The death before that? Well, I didn't shower for weeks, I didn't leave the house for months and I blamed myself for it happening every minute. I still blame myself. So I'm sorry if you don't think I've dealt with this particular death yet. I'm trying a healthier way to grieve for a change. So fuck you!" I go to turn around, but he lightly grabs my arm to stop me. We stay there like that for a couple seconds, but it felt so much longer.
"I'm so sorry, Shel. I wasn't thinking-"
"No, you weren't." I interrupt. He pulls me back into his chest and I can't stop the flood streaming down my face. "You weren't there last time." I sob. "And, I thought that this time we could help each other." He tries to pull me closer, if that's even possible. "But you're just stuck under that car all day. Then, we sleep in separate rooms. The only time I get to see you is my morning routine, and even then it's just your legs sticking out from under the shell of the impala."
"I know," I hear his voice waver as he sets his forehead on the back of my head. "I know, I'm so sorry, babe. I thought you would want to be alone."
"That's the last thing I want!" I shout at him. "And I know people grieve in different ways, but it's just so frustrating. I want to talk to you, but I can't. I've talked to Sam and Bobby, but it's not the same. You and me...we were on the road with him more than anyone. This is like losing my dad all over again." His forehead drops to my shoulder.
"I don't know what to say." He whispers. I take a deep breath and shake my head.
"There's nothing to say." I whisper back. "Just being around each other would be nice. But every time I tried to even sit with you outside in the past week, you tell me to go away."
"I'm sorry." He says. He lifts his head and kisses the back of mine. He loosens his grip on me and I pull away from him only to turn to look at him. He's looking to the ground, so I put a hand on either side of his face to make him look at me. We say nothing as we look into each other's eyes. The hurt and grief is very clear in his, and I'm sure he can see the same thing in mine. I bring him closer to me and I kiss him. He deepens it as he puts his arms back around my waist. Oh, God! I wanna jump him right here on the road. I don't care that Sammy is here. The thought of Sammy being with us does cause me to pull away and try to straighten out my clothing. I clear my throat.
"We should probably figure out this case, before we, uh, deal with...us." I tell Dean as I pick up my bag, that I had dropped.
"Yeah, yeah, right." He says as he clears his throat. We both turn to Sam who's still on the phone. We go over to him, and I look over to Dean. He's started biting at the nails on his right hand. I grab that hand to take it away from his mouth, kissing the back of it before intertwining my fingers with his.
"Thanks a lot." I hear Sam say before hanging up the phone. He walks over to us. "Rakshasa." He tells us. We start walking down the road again, only I'm between them now.
"What's that?" Dean asks.
Ellen's best guess." Sam says. "It's a race of ancient Hindu creatures. They appear in human form, they feed on human flesh, they can make themselves invisible, and they cannot enter a home without first being invited to."
"They dress up like clowns so the kids invite them in." I say.
"Yeah." Sam agrees.
"So, why don't they just munch on the kids?" Dean asks.
"No idea." Sam says. "Not enough meat on the bones, maybe?"
"What else you find out?" Dean asks.
"Well, apparently, Rakshasas live in squalor." Sam answers. "They sleep on a bed of dead insects."
"Nice." Dean reacts.
"Gross." I say at the same time.
"Yeah, and they have to feed a few times every 20 to 30 years." Sam adds. "Slow metabolism, I guess."
"That makes sense..." I say. "Cooper Carnival today, then the Bunker Brothers in '81."
"Right." Sam says. "Probably more before that."
"Who do we know that worked both shows?" Dean asks.
"Cooper?" Sam and I answer.
"Cooper." Dean confirms.
"You know, that picture of his father, that looked just like him." Sam comments.
"You think maybe it was him?" I ask.
"Well, who knows how old he is?" Sam answers.
"Ellen say how to kill him?" Dean asks.
"Legend goes, a dagger made of pure brass." Sam answers. I think about it before smiling.
"I think I know where to get one." I say.
"Well, before we go stabbing things into Cooper, we're gonna wanna make damn sure it's him." Sam says.
"Oh, you're such a stickler for details, Sammy." Dean says. "Alright, Shel and I'll round up the blade. You go check if Cooper's got bedbugs." We all agree to the plan. By the time we get back to the carnival it's dark and the only people there were the workers. We split up. Sam goes to Cooper's trailer, and Dean and I go to find Barry. We get pretty lucky. We almost run into him as we turn a corner.
"We were just lookin' for you, Barry." I chuckle at our almost collision.
"Oh, yeah?" He asks. "What for?"
"We're lookin' for a specific type of knife, and we were wondering if you had one we could borrow." I tell him.
"Oh, alright." He nods. "What type are you needing?" He asks.
"One made of brass." Dean says.
"Well, you can come take a look at my collection." He says as he leads us to his tent where his knives were located. "I got all kinds of knives. I don't know if I got a brass one, though." He tells us as we get to the door. He lets us in and hits his walking stick on a trunk by the door. "Check the trunk." He tells us. I open the trunk to see a bunch of clothing. I crouch down and move some of it to see familiar clothing. I swallow the saliva in my mouth before tapping Dean on the leg as he stands next to me. I point out the clothing to him, and he turns to Barry.
"You?" He asks the 'blind' man. I look over my shoulder at him. He drops his walking stick and takes his glasses off to reveal clear eyes. He's not blind at all. I stand up next to Dean, and I glare at the fraud.
"Me." He smiles at us, and his eyes and face contort into something from a nightmare. He then disappears as he waves at us.
"Shit!" I yell. Dean heads straight for the door, but it's locked. Suddenly, a knife flies out of nowhere and hits the door, close to Dean's head. We looked around the room, then another knife flew at the door.
"Alright!" Dean yells before kicking the door to let us out. We run out, and try to go find Sam. We almost run right by him.
"Hey!" He calls from behind us.
"Hey." Dean and I say to him.
"So, Cooper thinks I'm a peeping tom, but it's not him." Sam tells us.
"Yeah, we know." I say. Both Dean and I look back the way we came, but we don't see anything. That doesn't mean he's not on our trail.
"It's the blind guy." Dean says. "He's here somewhere."
"Well, did you get the-"
"The brass blades?" I ask. "No!" I answer.
"Yeah, it's just been one of those days." Dean says.
"I got an idea." Sam says. "Come on." Dean and I follow Sam as he runs into the fun house. As we walk through a wall closes between Sam, and Dean and I.
"Sammy!" I yell as Dean yells 'Sam!'
"Dean! Shel!" We hear Sam say from the other side of the wall. "Find the maze, okay?!" He tells us. We hear crazed laughter behind us and I swallow nervously again. Dean starts walking, grabbing my hand in the process. The things happening in the fun house aren't scaring me, but the thought of this thing being anywhere are creeping me the fuck out. I grab onto Dean's arm with a death grip. We end up finding Sam.
"Hey!" Dean says. I let out a breath of relief, but I do not ease up on Dean's arm.
"Hey." Sam says. I squint my eyes at him. He's trying to take a pipe from an organ. "Where is it?"
"I don't know." I say.
"Shouldn't we see his clothes walking around?" Dean asks. A knife comes flying out of nowhere, and it nicks my hand grasping onto Dean's arm. It causes me to let go. Another knife flies at Dean again. "Ow!" He shouts. It must have nicked him.
"Sam!" I shout as I try to take one of the daggers out of the wall to release Dean.
"Where is it!?" Sam asks us.
"I don't know!" Dean shouts.
"How would we know!? We can't see him either!" I shout. I look up and see a lever. "What is that for?" I ask Dean. I point to the lever before continuing to try and get Dean free.
"It can't hurt at this point." He says as he reaches for the lever. It causes steam to fill the funhouse. "Sam, behind you! Behind you!" In look to see Sam thrust the brass pipe behind him. We hear the creature scream as I'm finally able to get one of the daggers from the wall. Dean reaches up to the lever and turns the steam off. I'm able to get the other dagger out, and Dean's finally free. We rush over to Sam and just see a pile of clothes lying on the floor with the brass pipe. "I hate fun houses."
"Ditto." I agree.
With our case solved and done, we head back to the Roadhouse. The three of us sit at the bar, Sam and Dean on the corner, and me to Dean's left. Ellen sets some beers in front of us.
"You three did a Hell of a job. Your dad would be proud." She tells us.
"Thanks." Sam tells her.
"Hey, you guys wanna go shoot some pool?" I ask them.
"Nah, I know better than to play against you, babe." Dean says. I smile and peck him on the lips before jumping off the barstool with my beer in my hand.
"What about you, Sammy?" He takes a sip of his beer before standing from his seat.
"Eh, why not?" He says.
"Good luck." Dean tells him. We head over to the pool table and once I choose my pool stick I look to the bar to see Jo talking to Dean.
"Jeeze." I sigh.
"What?" Sam asks.
"Nothing to worry about." I say. "It's just that I can tell Jo has a huge crush on Dean." He looks back to the bar.
"I don't think he'd try anything." Sam says as he sets up the balls in formation. I scoff at his words.
"I'm not worried about him doing somethin'." I tell him. "I'm worried about Jo getting hurt. He just better not lead her on, or I'll have to be the bad guy and tell her to back off." I turn to him. "Rock, paper, scissors for the break." I suggest. He smiles.
Dean's POV
I stay at the bar as Jo comes up to the seat Shelby had just been occupying.
"So." She says, breaking the silence.
"So."
"Am I gonna see you again?" She asks me.
"Well, I'm sure Shel's gonna wanna come back to at least visit." I tell her. "So, sure."
"I guess I wouldn't hate that." She says, a little disappointment in her voice.
"Can I be honest with you?" I ask her. She nods her head. "See, normally, I'd be hittin' on you so fast it'd make your head spin, but, uh..." I look over my shoulder at Sam and Shelby. She shoots the break and pumps her fist in victory.
"Stripes all the way, Sammy!" I hear her celebrate.
"These days..."
"Wrong place, wrong time?" She asks, causing me to turn back to look at her.
"Yeah."
"It's okay. I get it." She says. "Shelby's a good person." She says. "She's like a big sister to me. I know that no one wants to be on her bad side. I'm sure you know that too."
"Boy, do I." I chuckle.
"Do you love her?" Jo asks me. I look into the girl's eyes.
"Of course I do." I say. "That's not even a question in my mind."
"Alright." She says. "I can live with that." I chuckle before looking back to the pool table.
"What?" I hear Sam ask. "How is that even possible? I didn't even get a chance to get one."
"You shouldn't let her break next time, Sammy!" I call over to him. "There's a reason I didn't even want to try." That's when the swinging door opens and Ash walks through with our dad's research and a makeshift computer.
Shelby's POV
I beat Sam with expert precision, and he is not happy. Then I hear Ash walk in through the swinging door.
"Where you guys been?" He asks us. "I been waitin' for you."
"We were working a job, Ashy Boy." I tell him as I put my pool stick away and walk down to him. "Clowns."
"Clowns?" He asks. "What the-"
"You got somethin' for us, Ash?" Dean asks. The mullet genius sets his DIY laptop on the bar as Sam comes down to join us. I stand at the corner of the bar next to Dean, and he reaches an arm around me to pull me into his side. He kisses my cheek as Ash opens his laptop, and I smile.
"Did you find the demon?" Sam asks.
"It's nowhere around, at least nowhere I can find." Ash tells us. "But if this fugly bastard raises its head, I'll know. I mean, I'm on it like divine on dog dookie."
"What do you mean?" Sam asks.
"I mean, if any of those signs or omens appear anywhere in the world," He says as he shows us the screen of his laptop. "My rig will go off like a fire alarm." Dean goes to touch it.
"You mind?" Dean asks permission. Ash sends a glare his way, and I pull his hand away from the laptop.
"I wouldn't, babe." I say to him.
"Yeah." Dean reluctantly agrees.
"What's up, man?" Ash asks.
"Ash, where did you learn to do all this?" Sam asks.
"M.I.T., before I got bounced for fighting." Came the answer.
"M.I.T.?" Sam asks.
"It's a school in Boston." Ash clarifies.
"Okay." Dean says. "Give us a call as soon as you know somethin'?"
"Si, si, compadre." Ash answers. The boys finish their beers and I give my unfinished beer to Ash. No reason it should go to waste. Then, we go to leave.
"Hey, listen." Ellen says as we get our jackets at the door. "Um, if you three need a place to stay, I got a couple beds out back." We look at each other before Dean answers for us.
"Thanks, but no." He says. "There's somethin' I gotta finish."
"Okay." Ellen says. The boys exit with me following behind. We head straight back to Bobby's place and I have to tell him about the van. He's not happy about it, but he understood. Then I headed straight to the patch of grass I usually do my yoga. There's also a tree there. I walk around to the back side of the tree where I've carved name into the tree. One is my dad's name, and the other one is John the second, or John II. I take out a blade and begin to carve another name below the other two. When I'm finished with the first three letters someone interrupts me.
"Shelby?" Came Dean's voice from the other side of the tree. I lean to the side to look at him.
"Yeah?" I ask.
"Whatcha doin' back there?" He asks.
"Why don't you come back here and find out?" I tell him as I go back to carving the final letter in the new name I'm adding to the tree. I hear his steps get closer and I feel his presence next to me.
Dean's POV
I walk around the tree and see that there are names carved into it. The top name reads 'Dave'. I know that name is her dad's. The name below his reads 'John II', and I can feel tears sting the corners of my eyes. When she steps back from the tree I read the one she's just added, 'John'. These are all people she's lost.
"I'd put my mom's name there, but I never really knew her." She tells me, breaking the silence. I look to her and feel a tear roll down my cheek. She looks to me and smiles before reaching a hand up to wipe my tear away. "I didn't think I would be adding names to this tree after my dad." She tells me as I take a deep breath. "It's now a place I go to remember the loved ones I've lost." She takes a breath. "It's why I start my daily routine here. I feel closer to them." I have no idea what to say as more tears stream down my face. "It's okay to cry." She tells me. "This grass is no stranger to being watered by tears." She smiles and I can see her eyes beginning to water. She takes her hand away from my face and sits at the base of the tree. She pats the grass next to her and I take the invitation graciously.
"I feel like I'm the worst person on the planet." I tell her as I wipe at my eyes.
"Why?" She asks.
"Because, while I was out in the world, sleeping around and having a good time, you were here. You were grieving the loss of...of..." The tears just keep coming.
"No, no, no, no, no, Dean, this isn't meant to make you feel bad." She tells me. I look at her through blurry eyes. "It's meant to be a place to grieve and find peace. Nothing can change our past, but we can make a better future by learning from it." I sob at her words and she pulls me to her, hugging me. She ends up switching our position, her legs straddling me, sitting between my legs, her head on my chest as I lean back on the tree. It's such a comfortable position. "You gonna get back to the impala soon?" She asks.
"Maybe tomorrow." I tell her. "I need a break. I'll get back to her tomorrow. I'd rather spend the rest of the day with you." She lifts her head to look at me.
"Really?" She asks.
"Yeah." I answer. She smiles and wraps her arms around my neck as she starts a make-out session under this tree. I am in pure bliss, and the rest of the day we spend it together, like we're attached at the hip. We even end up sleeping in her room, and not sleeping at all if you know what I mean.
Shelby's POV
I wake up the next morning to Dean getting out of bed. We ended up having some sloppy, quick sex before taking a shower and going to bed. I think it was a stress reliever for both of us. I roll over to look at him as he gets his pants on.
"Hey." I say as I yawn.
"Hey." He says softly as he comes over to me. "I didn't mean to wake you." He says before leaning over to kiss my forehead. "I just wanted to get a head start on Baby." He says as he sits on the edge of the bed and puts his shirt and shoes on. I sit up and wrap my arms around his neck and nuzzle into the back of his neck.
"Do you have to?" I ask him. He takes one of my hands and kisses the back of it.
"Think about it this way," He says. "The quicker I get her fixed up the quicker we can get back on the road. We can hit a nice hotel, and we can get an extra room just for us."
"Oh, really?" I smile. "Can we get some strawberries and champagne sent to the room?"
"Anything you want." He says. I sigh before letting him go.
"Alright." I lean back on my hands as he stands up. "But if the strawberries aren't covered in chocolate I'm gonna be pissed." He chuckles.
"Okay." He says. He gives me another peck on the lips before leaving the room and heading downstairs and out to the shell of the impala. I decide I'm not gonna get back to sleep, so I get up and put on my long sleeved, knee-length, black silk kimono robe with pink flowers going up the middle of each side. I tie the belt before heading downstairs. I follow the smell of coffee to the kitchen where I see Bobby. He smiles and hands me a mug filled with the hot brown liquid.
"How ya feelin', Munchkin?" He asks as I sit at the table.
"Better." I answer, taking a sip.
"Good." He says getting himself a mug of coffee. "You know, maybe we should get your room sound proofed." He says. I laugh.
"Why?" I ask. He just looks at me and I think back to last night. I clear my throat before standing up. "Oh." I say as I take another sip. "Well, maybe we should sound proof my room." I agree before I head out to the front porch, and lean against the banister. I see Sam talking to Dean.
When Sam walks away, and past me and into the house, I nod to him before looking back to Dean. He picks up a crowbar and bashes in a car window. It surprises me a bit and I almost spill my coffee on myself. I then watch as he turns to the trunk of the shell of the impala. He repeatedly hits it until there's a giant hole in it. I sigh as he gets out his built up aggression. It's a good sign, and I smile as I take another sip of my coffee. He drops the crowbar and walks around the car. He looks up and our eyes meet.
"Coffee?" I ask. "I'd come bring it over to you, but I don't feel like getting tetanus today." He nods and comes over to me. He doesn't grab the mug, instead he wraps his arms around my midsection and buries his head where my shoulder and neck meet. It surprises me at first, but I end up rubbing his back to comfort him. "Everything's gonna be fine, Babe." I say to him before kissing the side of his head. He lets me go and steps back a bit. I hold out the mug for him to take, and he sips some of the hot brown liquid. "I guess it's gonna take a little longer to get to my chocolate covered strawberries and champagne now, huh?" I smile at him. My question causes him to smile.
"I guess so." He says as he hands the mug back to me. "You should bring that robe with you when we get on the road." He tells me.
"Oh yeah? Why?" I ask, already knowing the answer.
"Because it's crazy sexy, and I'm forcing myself to not throw you over my shoulder right now and bring you upstairs."
"Ooo, talk dirty to me." I say as I giggle. He smiles and pulls me in for another kiss before running back to the shell of the impala.
A/N: Some of the DeanxShelby emotional scenes might feel out of character, but I wanted to make sure that the Dean that knows Shelby in my story is different from the Dean in the actual show. I would love to know if you are liking this story so far. I would hope so. It's been a lot of long chapters, and you wouldn't be reading it if you didn't have some interest, right? I love you guys, and I can't wait to read the comments and reviews.