DISCLAIMER: I don't own the show or the characters Sam and Dean Winchester. Anna, Genchy, Bowen and Tibbs are all mine, though, and that's not too shabby.

A/N: Sorry this took forever. I don't have an excuse, but I can tell you that some MAJOR rewriting went into this. I don't know what I was smoking when I originally hand-wrote all this, but it must have been good, 'cause the writing was really, REALLY bad. I've also been playing with the idea about writing an Anna series that has nothing to do with the Winchesters. Not sure, though... It would probably become a series that splits far away and leaves the Winchesters behind in the hopes that any possibility for publication will be increased. Hmm... maybe... I don't know.

Dean watched Annie digging around inside the trunk of the Impala and at last she emerged with her mp3 player. Behind him Sam and Genchy checked their weapons and tracking systems, working out who would stay with Bowen. Dean watched, unable to look away as Annie leaned forward through the passenger window and hooked the player up to the radio. He smiled when the opening chords of several songs skipped through until she settled on something funky and the singer broke into Japanese lyrics. He forced himself to turn away and he climbed the stairs to the ugly old house, the other men following. Annie was pissed and disappointed and more than likely hurt, he could tell, but she was safer outside. In his ear he could hear Bowen congratulating him and Genchy for laying down the law and making Anna stay behind.

"She's hurt," he said in a quiet voice.

"You saw to that," Sam muttered.

Dean spun and glared at his brother, who simply raised a brow in challenge. Genchy stepped forward between the brothers and faced Dean.

"Do this later."

Dean snapped his head to glare at Genchy who ducked his head in submission with a low whine. Dean clenched his jaw and Genchy lowered his eyes.

"Let's just focus. I can smell it nearby."

Dean and Sam looked around at the shabby entry hall as Bowen hovered near the doorway. Past the professor Dean could see Anna leaning against the car and holding the shotgun casually, tapping her fingers against the barrel in time to the music. He turned back to Genchy.

"You lead; we'll watch your back."

Genchy nodded and scratched his nose. He'd picked up the scent off the blouse the moment he'd stepped through the door, the same scent he'd caught in the bushes outside Bowen's house. He moved to the foot of the stairs and leaned his head back, listening. He narrowed his eyes at the scratching sounds and turned away. Nothing but mice up there, and Genchy hated mice. He moved into the parlor with the Winchesters covering him from behind, and he stopped in the center of the small room, confused. He could smell her, she was here, but the scent was faint and far away somehow.

"This won't work," he said in frustration and turned to Dean. "I can't track like this."

Genchy stared at Dean then slanted his eyes toward Bowen. Dean shrugged, confused and then started in understanding.

"Oh! Annie."

"Ja, Herr Winchester?"

Sam smiled at Annie's tone. Dean rolled his eyes and crossed to the window where he could see her.

"What do you want to do?" Dean asked

"Come inside," she said in a flat tone. Dean clenched his jaw and took a deep breath, fighting against the urge to spank her. After a moment she continued. "Send Bowen out to me. Let Genchy do what he's here for."

"She says to go outside," Sam told Bowen.

"Why?" He looked from Sam to Dean. "Aren't I the bait?"

"Yes," Anna said. "But we don't want to chum the waters."

Sam winced and shook his head, saying nothing.

"You're making me hungry," Genchy said with a smile, and Dean's body tightened in response to Anna's throaty chuckle.

"You have my permission to snack if the granite's to your liking."

"Y'all are gross," Sam muttered and escorted Bowen back to the door. Once safely across the yard with Anna, Sam returned to the parlor and took the shotgun from Genchy. Genchy rolled his shoulders and before either brother could blink the man was gone and a very large brown wolf stood before them. He stretched and shook his body, his tail wagging in anticipation of the hunt.

"Is he done?" Anna's voice was quiet and Dean tore his gaze away from Genchy to look out at her. She had been alone with this guy? She was braver than he was.

"I'm done," Genchy answered in a rough voice. Sam and Dean's eyes shot wide and Sam took a half step back.

"No one said you'd be able to talk," Dean said in a suspicious voice.

"Is that a problem?" Genchy asked with a curiously hungry gleam in his eye.

"It's a bonus," Anna snapped. "Focus on the job."

Genchy's expression could only be described as a grin as he turned away, following his nose back through the foyer and into the dining room. Through the buds Dean could hear something from Santana starting up and he grinned. Genchy turned into the kitchen and Dean followed close behind, the safety off.

Bowen watched Anna as she split her attention between the dots moving on her phone and staring at the door to the house. She was wearing sunglasses, so he couldn't see her eyes, and on the outside she appeared to be the same Anna MacKeary he had always known, cool and distant. Only the music she played was a clue to the emotions simmering beneath the surface.

"May I ask a question?"

She looked down at him and raised a brow, apparently waiting. Bowen stifled a grin at her behavior, reminded of a sulking teenager.

"Are you really mad at him for wanting to keep you safe?"

Anna stared at Bowen and then looked at the house, considering her answer. After a moment, she hit the mute button on her phone, a feature she'd "forgotten" to clue the guys in on, sighed and turned to face the professor.

"I'm not mad at him," she said. "I just hate feeling left behind. And I don't- I can't… It's complicated," she muttered. She felt strange trying to explain her frustration to anyone, and Bowen wasn't a hunter. He especially wasn't a MacKeary, which meant there was a lot she couldn't say. She turned off the mute function and pulled her sunglasses back on.

"Guys, what's the word?"

"Grease," Dean replied. Anna rolled her eyes and smiled.

Linnea heard the footsteps and faced the door, amazed. How had they found her so quickly? She bared her teeth and looked around, panicked, for a place to hide. When her wings shuddered, she smiled and jumped.
Genchy was still in the lead as they moved through the surprisingly large kitchen toward the old-fashioned larder. Dean bobbed his head in time to the music coming through the earpiece and followed close behind the wolf. Genchy moved to the back of the larder and stared at the floor, circling slowly.

"What is it?" Dean asked from the doorway, gun at the ready.

Genchy blinked back into human form, clothes thankfully in place, and faced Dean. "It's beneath us," he said. "We need to find away down."

"Is he dressed?" Anna's voice came through the bud. Sam and Genchy spoke at the same time.

"What?"

"Does it matter?"

"Hello guys," Anna said in a bored tone. "Girl with a database, ring a bell? Dressed or nakey?"

"Dressed," the three men said in unison.

"How's the ear piece?"

"Count Rogan, can we do this later?"

Sam grinned at Dean's tone and exchanged an amused grin with Genchy.

"It's good," Genchy said and he turned back and crouched near one corner. He ran his fingers along the edge of the panels and felt damp air seeping through. He leaned forward and loosed the wolf to scent the air. His pulse began to race as he caught the fear and the start of the hunt. "There you are," he whispered. "Stand back."

Sam pulled Dean back from the doorway and Genchy stood before the wall, studying the wood for a weak spot. Without warning he kicked out at the wall and the panels burst inward to hang precariously from one hinge, revealing a crude passage and stairway leading down. With a satisfied smile Genchy turned back to Dean for orders. Whether he knew it or not, this guy was an alpha and it was plain to the wolf that Thibideaux was in trouble.