[Music & Song Recommendations – You can follow the playlist for 'Along for the Ride' on Spotify. It's the one with the cover that features the back of a young woman wearing plaid.]

~ "Seminole" by Jay Red Eagle (the beginning and Dani's conversation with Dean)

~ "Cherokee" by Europe (Dani and Reshen's traveling montage)

~ "Reflecting Light" by Sam Phillips (Dani and Loki's scene)

~ "Stand By Me" by Ben E. King (Birthday cake scene)

Chapter Eighteen

"Ulihelisdi Udetiyisgv, Dani!"

June 25th, 2007

The weeks after her encounter with The Grim Reaper were filled with following any and every lead, she came across concerning the demon Crowley. Sometimes Sam would join her if he could slip away from Dean without arousing his brother's suspicions. Every now and then, Bobby would be her partner if he found his task of cracking the Colt's secrets getting to be too frustrating. But most of the time, Dani went out on her own to track down the King of the Crossroads.

Unfortunately, he was proving to be an elusive devil. She'd get hot on his trail then it would get cold. It got to the point where she wouldn't leave the house unless she was certain there was a high chance she'd catch him. Then there was the tip she'd gotten from Ellen Harvelle.

Since Harvelle's Roadhouse had been destroyed, Ellen and her daughter Jo had been doing hunting jobs together, mostly in the Colorado area. It was from that state that Ellen was calling Dani from now.

Dani hurried to her room, closed the door, then sat at her desk. She booted her laptop and pulled up a map of Colorado as poised her pen over paper. "Okay, give me those details again."

"Jo and I took a temporary job at a bar here in Sterling. It's one of those places that's frequented by the rich who want to be unnoticed, right? Anyway, Jo's serving these two men who look and sound like they're part of that wealthy crowd and she overhears them talking about crossroads and deals, so she lingers around to hear more. Apparently, their company is in major debt and needs something like a miracle to get them out of trouble. One guy says to the other that he's gonna get it all taken care of tomorrow night.

"His friend asks him how and the other guy makes him swear to keep it a secret and then tells his buddy how he'd gone out to the crossroads not too far from the bar and summoned a demon to make a deal. Only he demands to negotiate his deal with the best, which happens to be –,"

"Mr. Crowley?" Dani interjected knowingly.

"Bingo," Ellen acknowledged. "And since the guy is so high up at his company, the King of the Crossroads apparently deemed it worth his time to oversee the deal himself. They met together, laid out their terms, then Mr. Crowley left to get it all in writing."

"They haven't sealed the deal yet?"

"Nope. That'll take place tomorrow at midnight at the crossroads, rain or shine."

Dani typed in Bobby's Sioux Falls address and the city of Sterling into Google Maps. Nearly an eight-hour drive, traffic permitting. "Where's the crossroads?"

"Straton and Heathcliff. Practically out in the middle of nowhere."

"Okay. I'm on it."

"Can I convince you to take me and Jo with you on this one?"

"Vtla. I'll be fine. I've got some tricks up my sleeve."

"Well, offer stands if you change your mind. Good luck, kid."

"Wado, Eleni."

She hung up and immediately dialed her godfather's number. "Siyo, edutsi. Wanna go on a road trip with me tomorrow?"

"Oh, thank God, I was getting so bored. Ya know, it's amazing how much free time one can have when you're not engaged in a war. I mean, yes, I still have things to do that keep me busy, running a kingdom and all, but a king's gotta have some fun too, ya know?"

The door to Dani's bedroom opened without warning. "Hey, Dani," Dean greeted.

Dani immediately hung up the phone and glared at him. "Yo! Ever heard of knocking! I could have been indecent!"

Dean scoffed. "I'm starting to think you've never been indecent in your life."

Without waiting for an invite, he threw himself upon her bed and got comfortable. "So, what places ya wanna hit up for your twenty-first?" He made a face of discomfort, wiggled a bit, then reached behind his shoulders and pulled out the stuffed owl Loki had gotten her at the fair. He wrinkled his nose at it and made to toss it just as Dani swooped in and snatched the stuffed animal from him.

"What do you mean?" she asked, holding the owl close to her middle as she took her seat again.

"Well, I'm assuming the reason I've never seen you drink so much as a shot is because you're waiting until your legal, like the good kid that you are, and you're turning legal on the twenty-seventh. So, I'm taking it upon myself to take you bar hopping as a rite of passage. Beers'll be on me. What bars do you wanna hit up on your birthday?"

Dani chuffed. "None."

Dean's brow furrowed. "Come again?"

"Dean, I don't drink just because I'm not legally able to – although, even if I could, I would wait til I was."

"What do you mean even if you could?" Dean asked, sitting up, perplexed.

"Native Americans are susceptible to alcoholism. Our metabolism doesn't process alcohol like the general public, and it can lead to a lot of health problems. Now, I'm only half Native, but it's just not something that I want to risk. So, thank you for the offer, it's actually really sweet of you, but no 'fire water' for me."

"Wow," Dean said after a moment to take that in. "That sucks."

"According to your opinion, maybe," Dani said, laughing. "But I'm sure there's other ways we can celebrate my twenty-first birthday."

"Uh, yeah. Sure, um…" Dean thought for several long seconds. Dani watched with amusement as he pondered the situation. After a few moments, he shook his head. "I got nothin'."

"Seriously, Dean? C'mon, what are some ways you and Sam have celebrated ya'lls birthday?"

Dean flashed that grin he did when he wanted to skip over something and hoped his boyish charm could accomplish it. "Aw, no. Let's not talk about that. We're talking about how to celebrate yours."

"Dean, c'mon, now. Tell me."

"Nah."

"Gado usdi? Afraid to shock me?"

"Well –,"

"Strip clubs?"

"Once or twice."

"Mmh-hmm," Dani hummed, leveling him with her, "I won't vocally judge you, but I'm judging you just a teensy bit," playful look.

"Honestly, Sam and I don't do much for celebrating."

Now it was Dani's turn to look confused. "What do you mean?"

"Celebrating stuff just…" Dean shrugged. "It's just not something that we do. Every now and then, maybe."

"So, you guys don't celebrate your birthdays at all? Not even by getting yourself a cupcake?"

"It usually goes by unmarked."

"What about the holidays?"

Dean shrugged again.

"Christmas?"

Dean gave her a tight smile. "Nah."

"But –,"

"It's just not something that was regularly done with me, Sam, and Dad always on the road. Half the time Dad wasn't even there to celebrate with us so… We just wouldn't. And it became the norm for us."

Dani studied his face. Saw the reluctance to discuss the topic any further reflected in his eyes and in the set of his jaw. She nodded and said, "Well, my birthday is a must to be celebrated in some way, shape, or form. And both you and Sam are expected to eat a piece of cake when it happens, so. That's that."

Dean gave her a grateful smile as they moved on. "Who were you talking to just before I came in?"

"You mean barged in?"

"Whatever. Who was it?"

"Uncle Reshen."

"Ah." A genuine smile crossed Dean's features at the mention of her guardian. It made her heart happy to see that Sam and Dean had taken to Reshen so quickly in the short time they'd met. "What did the King of the Goblins have to say?"

"Well, he said he was going to try to make it to my birthday."

"You said he's never missed any of your birthdays before, right?"

"Right. Not one."

"Hm." Dean linked his fingers and placed them behind his head as he stared at the ceiling. "That is some dedication right there."

"Reshen is…the word 'devoted' doesn't even begin to cover it."

"He loves you, that's for sure." Dean fell quiet after his statement. "He's not even your dad and he's so… present in your life. He doesn't have to be, right?"

"No. He doesn't have to be. He made a promise, sure, but that promise didn't say anything about being involved in my family's lives like he has. He chooses to be."

Dean appeared to mull that over as he lay in her bed and continued staring at the ceiling. Dani wondered if he was thinking of his dad. From what she gathered, the man hadn't been there for his sons near enough. All because he was consumed by his need to exact vengeance on the demon that had taken their mother from him. John Winchester had become blind to all else.

Dani's own father Seán had lost his wife to ghouls, but he hadn't thrown himself into a revenge crusade. He recognized that he had a duty to the children they had. Even though Kenan was already twenty and Matthew was seventeen, Dani was only thirteen and Joey was a mere seven years old. Seán knew he still had a responsibility in raising them all.

Both men experienced the same loss but had reacted to it in such different ways. Dani found herself grateful for her father's character and dedication to her and her siblings despite the pain of his loss. Otherwise, well, she may have been looking at what her life would have turned out to be like, laying there on her bed.

"Well, I'll leave you up to planning how you want to celebrate your birthday," Dean went on with a grunt as he pulled himself off the bed and stood to his feet. "And that cake better be an actual cake," he added with mock seriousness. "None of that ice-cream cake or cookie cake business. An actual birthday cake. Got it?"

Dani schooled her features to look just as faux serious as he and gave a decisive nod. "Absolutely."

"Good." He made to leave and ruffled her hair on his way out. "See you downstairs for dinner."

The moment he left and was down the stairs, Dani closed her door, locked it, then called her uncle back.

"What time do you want to head out?" Reshen asked.

"Tomorrow around ten in the morning."

"I'll be there."


After informing Bobby and Sam about her lead on Crowley, they agreed that her cover story, should Dean ask, would be she was heading to Colorado to help Jo and Ellen on a case with her expertise as a medicine woman. Dani felt guilty lying, but Dean was still on the fence about breaking his deal and none of them were sure if Dean would approve or not of Dani's attempts to track down the demon who held his contract.

The next day, the weather on the way to Colorado was the perfect kind you could hope for on a long drive. Clear skies and hardly any traffic. Dani drove her 1970 Ford Ranger while Reshen hogged the radio, switching between country and rock, for most of the drive. He won the ABC game twice.

"Ya know, Uncle Reshen, you should start branching out on your solo travels. Visit the obscure little towns in each state. That way I can just have you pop me in real quick instead of me having to do these long drives."

Reshen chuckled and eyed her over the rims of his black sunglasses, silver eyes glinting in the sunlight. "Ah, but then we wouldn't have these long road trips with which to bond over."

"How much more bonding do we need?"

"As much as I say we need. Ah. Z – Zone," Reshen said, pointing at a construction zone sign up ahead. "I win."

"That's the third time!" Dani exclaimed, just shy of raging. "I'm never playing the ABC game with you again!"

Reshen lowered the car seat so he could lean back and stretch his long legs. He gave a sigh and smirked at her. "You say that," he sing-songed, "And yet you continue to challenge me."

By the time they crossed the state line, day had turned to night and the weather had taken a drastic change. Clouds dark and heavy with rain crowded the expanse above them.

"Hope those clear up soon," Reshen commented, eyeing the clouds before checking his watch. He tapped on the glass face with a claw. "Two hours before that guy meets with Crowley. I'd hate to do this in the rain."

Less than an hour later, they were pulling into the parking lot of the bar Ellen and Jo worked at. Jo had the night off, but Ellen was working the bar. Dani asked Reshen to stay in the car while she went inside to speak with Ellen.

The older woman's face broke into a smile when she saw Dani approaching and stepped out from behind the bar to give her a hug. "Been awhile," Ellen commented, looking Dani over to see if any changes had happened to her appearance. "Got any more cool scars to show me?"

Dani smiled and rolled up her left sleeve to show off her newest addition on her elbow. Ellen sucked air in through her teeth. "Oooh. Nice. How'd you get it?"

"Gremlin."

Ellen raised her brows. "No kidding?"

"Nope. Nasty little creature."

Ellen chuckled as she returned to her place behind the bar and wiped down the counter while Dani took a stool. Ellen eyed her. "Come to think of it, I'm not sure you're old enough to be sitting here."

"I will be tomorrow. Besides, it's not like I'm drinking anything."

Ellen shrugged and went about cleaning some glasses. "He's in that back corner booth with his friend again. Ordered some liquid courage before he leaves to meet at the crossroads."

Dani subtly located her target by way of the mirror hanging on the back wall behind the bar. "Receding hairline with glasses or receding hairline with the extra weight?"

"Receding hairline with glasses," Ellen confirmed.

Dani watched both men as they nervously sipped at their drinks and checked their watches several times. "How far away is the crossroads?"

"About ten minutes from here."

Dani looked at the clock hanging near the mirror. They had an hour before the meeting at midnight. She was hungry and figured Reshen would be too. "What time does the place close?"

"We shut up at midnight on the dot."

"Think I could get some fries for me and my uncle?"

Ellen's interest was obvious. She'd heard of him from Bobby but never had the opportunity to meet Reshen. "He's here?" Dani nodded. Ellen looked around, confusion marring her brow. "Where is he?"

"Out in the truck."

"Bring that poor creature inside for some hot fries," Ellen chided, already turning to get their fries ready. Dani hopped off the stool and hurried outside to fill her godfather in. The moment she mentioned fries, his glamour was on, and his butt was out of the car and halfway to the door before she could catch up to him.

"Now, Ellen knows who you really are because Bobby told her. She's really curious about you, but don't draw any attention to us. Okay?"

"Would you rather I stayed in the car?"

"No," Dani sighed, rolling her eyes. "You just…You draw the eyes no matter what form you're in, Uncle Reshen."

Reshen chuckled. "Thanks for the confidence boost there, sweetie."

"That wasn't a – never mind."

Ellen's back was turned to them as they arrived at the counter. "Ellen," Dani called. The older woman circled back around. Her eyes widened and her mouth parted ever so slightly. "This is my Uncle Reshen."

"Bobby must have been pulling my leg or something," Ellen said, making no attempts to hide her roaming eyes as she looked Reshen up and down. "Cause there ain't no way you're what he said you are."

Reshen lessened his glamour's image just enough to allow his sharp teeth and silver eyes to show through. "You sure about that?" he asked, with a wink and a smirk. Dani dug her elbow into his ribs as a warning for him to knock it off, but Ellen was already looking a little flustered.

"You hungry?" Ellen asked, setting the steaming hot plate of fries before them.

Reshen groaned with eagerness once the delicious smell hit his nostrils. "I could eat," he admitted, swinging himself onto the stool.

Ellen could barely take her eyes off him. He noticed. She started at his attention. "Sorry," she apologized. "I've just never been around…one of your type before."

"Not many…bartenders have. We've been a little preoccupied for a long while."

"Right, right, gotcha," Ellen murmured, still transfixed at the sight of him. Dani was beginning to wonder if it was the knowledge of what was beneath her uncle's glamour or the appeal of his glamour's appearance that captured Ellen's attention. Dani cleared her throat out of awkwardness and dug into the fries with gusto.

Ellen suddenly looked behind herself towards the mirror then back at Reshen. "If that's a glamour," she whispered so low that Dani almost didn't hear her. "Then how come I can't see your true image in the mirror?"

Reshen pointed a finger, wiggling it around in a circle, at his reflection. "It's gotta have a silver backing to it or a silver frame to dispel a goblin glamour. These days it's rare to come across those."

Ellen pursed her lips in thought as she glanced between the mirror and the glamoured goblin before her. "I'll have to keep that in mind. I thought that all those vampires I'd fought in the past, when I could see their reflections, was just debunking some myth; but now you're telling me the mirror's just weren't the right material?"

"Yeeep," Reshen answered, popping the 'p'. "See, vampires, goblins and most fae creatures under a glamour must be reflected by a silver mirror in order for their true selves to be seen. But there are plenty of other creatures who don't need something as special. Just a regular mirror can do the trick. But if you want to have all your bases covered, no matter the creature, I say get yourself a silver backed or framed mirror."

Ellen gave the bar mirror a good long look. "I wonder if I can convince Myers to buy a silver mirror for this joint?"

Forty minutes of conversation later, Dani noticed the men in the back begin to stand from their booth. "Let's go, Uncle Reshen."

The goblin king heaved a sigh, pulled out some cash for the fries, then flashed a grin at Ellen. "Ellen," he held out his hand. "It's been a pleasure."

She extended hers to shake his but received a kiss upon her knuckles instead. Color rose on the woman's cheeks. "Yeah, uh, nice talkin' with ya."

Dani rolled her eyes and slid off the stool. She grabbed hold of her guardian's elbow and tugged him along with her. "C'mon, you old flirt, let's go."

Reshen let out a scoff as he was led away. "Why do you insist that I'm a flirt? I was just being polite!"

"Men don't kiss women on the hand anymore, Uncle Reshen."

The goblin king stared at her in bafflement. "Well, they should!" he hissed indignantly as he climbed back into Dani's truck.

A crack of thunder sounded above their heads, and both lifted their eyes to the dark sky. Droplets of rain began to fall. They waited in the vehicle and watched as the two men exit the building and hurried to get inside their own car.

Tailing them was a bit nerve wracking since Dani had to drive in the rain without her headlights on in order to avoid being seen. The road they traveled on wasn't paved, wasn't occupied by any other cars besides the two, and far removed from the town lights. Rainclouds hid whatever moonlight they would have had to guide them in the dark. So, Dani had to rely on the taillights on the car ahead of her and Reshen's night vision.

"You'll tell me if I'm about to hit a pothole, right?" Dani joked in order to ease the tension she felt.

Reshen, glamour dropped, kept his silver eyes ahead of them. "You're good, sweetie," he assured her. "Keep driving."

A few minutes later, Dani was squinting through the hard shower against her windshield at the taillights. "Are they pulling over?"

"Yeah. They're at the crossroads. There's a copse of trees we can park the truck behind just a few feet ahead of you to your left. Right here. That's it."

The rain was coming down in sheets and the temperature had dropped. Getting out of the truck, they were soaked to the skin within minutes. Dani bit back a gasp as the icy water dripped down her back.

Taking her by the hand, Reshen guided her along towards where the men had parked at the crossroads. The rain would have made it hard to hear what they were saying to each other, but the men ended up shouting in order to be heard anyway.

"I swear if this just ends up being one elaborate prank, Jefferson –," the larger one was hollering as he aimed a flashlight on Jefferson kneeling on the ground.

"It's not, Mike! I promise, this is real! Everything's gonna turn out alright! Just let me finish burying this box and you'll see!"

Burying the box was proving to be difficult with the rainwater quickly collecting inside the hole Jefferson dug up with a garden trowel, and washing away any mud he set aside, but eventually he managed to get it done. Backing away until he stood next to Mike, Jefferson wiped water droplets away from his glasses as he looked around the area. Reshen and Dani ducked further down behind the bushes and small trees.

"Well, where is he?" Mike demanded.

"Just give it a minute! It's not midnight yet, he's a punctual kind of guy."

"Oh, a demon who's on time, huh?" Mike taunted, clearly not believing his coworker.

"Terrible weather we're having, isn't it, gents?" an accented voice called out above the rain.

Both men whirled around to see a dark figure of average height standing behind them. Mike began to lift the flashlight up towards the figure's face, but Jefferson slapped it down. "Don't blind the man, Mike! Jeez!"

Dani could barely see a thing thanks to the heavy rainfall and darkness surrounding them. "Uncle Reshen, can you see him?"

"Barely. It's raining so hard my night vision's hardly any use. But it's just enough to allow me to use this…" Reshen reached into his jacket's inner pocket and pulled out the demon killing blade that Sam had leant to them for their mission. "While those two keep him distracted, I'm going to sneak up behind him and get the knife at his neck."

Once that happened, the plan was to tie Crowley up, then throw him in the back of Dani's truck where a devil trap would keep him contained until they could take him to an abandoned warehouse they'd passed on the way into town. There, they'd convince him to break Dean's contract or get exorcised.

"Don't forget your glamor," Dani reminded.

Reshen bit down on his lower lip as he stared out at the two men and a demon. "Actually, I'm thinking it would be best not to use my glamor." Seeing the argumentative look on his goddaughter's face, Reshen pressed on before she could speak. "It would be more intimidating against the two men. If they decide to help the demon, they might think twice when confronted by someone who looks like me."

Dani didn't disagree, but she still didn't seem to love the idea. "Alright, fine."

"Ready?"

"Ready."

Dani watched as her uncle stalked his way around the trees and bushes towards the trio. The heavy rain was also a blessing in that it muffled the sounds of his approach. Once Reshen was no longer in sight, Dani turned her eyes to the three standing in the middle of the crossroads. No matter how hard she tried to peer past the rainfall and shadows, she just could not catch a glimpse of the demon's face. As for his voice, she could only tell it was male and had an accent that she thought could be British.

A glint from the knife was the only hint she had before Reshen suddenly lunged from the darkness. Goblins were known to be great at sneaking in the dark, but Reshen? Reshen was invisible when he set his mind to it. That being said, it totally caught her uncle and Dani off guard when the demon vanished just as Reshen grabbed his shoulder. Mike and Jefferson were quiet for a few seconds, no doubt confused as to why the King of the Crossroads had disappeared before their eyes. The high-pitched screaming that followed was out of sheer terror at seeing Reshen's fearsome goblin face.

The two men scrambled to get away, full on sprinting down the road to their car. There was a brief moment when Jefferson forgot to unlock the car, so they both stood there pulling on the door handles as their eyes stayed fixed on Reshen, all the while screaming in terror. Jefferson finally remembered his keys, unlocked the car and the two of them dove inside. The car sped off, leaving Reshen standing in the middle of the road, wielding a knife like a scene from a horror movie.

Dani burst from the trees towards her guardian. "What happened!"

Reshen looked just as dumbfounded. "He knew I was behind him! How the hell did he know I was behind him! No one's been able to sense me sneak up on them!"

Dani sighed in disappointment. "No one until now."

Reshen, frustration still evident in the way he carried himself, kicked at the road, sloughing up some mud in his wake. Some goblin curses escaped his lips before he turned around to face her again. "I'm sorry, Dani. I botched it somehow –,"

"Don't say that. We don't know what happened."

Lightning cracked above their heads followed by a blast of thunder loud enough to make them flinch. Reshen's silver eyes surveyed the sky and reached for Dani's arm. "C'mon, let's get out of this rain. I'll drive us home."


Dani had called Ellen and Bobby almost immediately upon entering the truck to inform them of their failure to capture the Crowley. After that, Reshen insisted she sleep the rest of the way to Sioux Falls. She'd taken his advice. When she awoke, seven hours later, her head felt stuffed full of cotton and her nose was runny. A slight cough was developing in her chest.

It was nearly eight in the morning by the time they got back to Bobby's. Breakfast was just being served when they walked through the door.

"There's Miss Twenty-One!" Dean greeted as Dani came in. "How was Ellen and Jo?"

Dani sniffed and dabbed at her nose with a tissue. "I only saw Ellen, but she was just fine."

Luckily, Dean was distracted from asking any further questions when he caught sight of Reshen trailing in behind her. He pulled out an extra chair for the goblin king to join them at the table. Dani eagerly sat down and attempted to inhale the delicious smell of the breakfast Bobby had made but couldn't detect much through a stuffy nose. Plus, the deep inhale triggered the tickle in her chest and set off a coughing fit.

"Well, dang, Dani girl," Bobby commented, eyeing her with concern. "You alright?"

"Ye –," more coughing broke up her words. "Yeah. I just feel a little under the weather." Her stuffed nose was now affecting her voice, making it turn nasally. "I happened to get caught in the rain last night."

"Sick on your birthday," Sam said, shaking his head with pity. "That sucks."

"I'm sure it'll clear up once I get some medicine in me. A few herbal remedies wouldn't hurt either."

After getting some breakfast in her belly, Dani excused herself to go grab some medicine and self-made remedies from the cabinet and then went and lay down in bed for a couple of hours. Reshen was offered Sam's room to catch a few winks in, which he accepted.

By the time Dani woke up, it was the middle of the afternoon. Running her fingers through her hair, Dani was about to leave her room when he phone buzzed from an incoming text message. Opening the text, she grinned.

Guheyu: Got a minute for me to wish you happy birthday in person?

Dani thought a moment before sending a response back telling him where to meet her. Passing by Sam's room, she peeked in at her guardian through the slightly ajar door. Reshen was still asleep, so she didn't bother him and went downstairs to find Bobby and the boys.

"How're ya feelin'?" Bobby asked as she entered the living room turned library. Dani leaned against him, face buried in his chest as she groaned aloud. He chuckled. "Still ain't a hundred percent, huh?"

Dani lifted herself away and settled for leaned against his shoulder. "Nope," she grunted before coughing into her elbow.

"Sorry to hear that. Guess that birthday cake will just have to be eaten by just us fellas."

Dani turned a murderous glare on him. "Over my dead body." A spasm in her chest warned her of another oncoming cough and she turned her head in time.

Bobby frowned. "You don't sound far off from it, kid." He pressed a palm to her forehead. "You're feelin' a bit warm."

"Nyaaaag. Don't say that. I hate being sick."

"Don't know of many who like it, Dani girl."

She didn't move her head away from his shoulder as she glanced around the room. "Where are the boys?"

"Outside tinkering with the Impala."

Dani sighed, slumping further against him. He wrapped an arm around her and gave a squeeze. "I still can't believe Crowley got away. You've seen Reshen in action. He's all but invisible when he's sneaking up on someone. I don't know how Crowley could have known."

"It won't do no good obsessing over it. We'll find him again."

She didn't want to admit it, but Dani wasn't so sure. Though it had only been a few weeks since she started her search for him, each time she'd come close to catching Crowley, the demon had managed to elude her for longer periods of time. What if he vanished for good the next time she failed to capture him?

"I'm gonna go talk a walk."

Bobby's arm didn't come away from her as she tried to step back. "You sure?"

"Yeah, I think I can manage a short walk. I'll go as far as the pond and turn back."

"That's too far with you being sick."

"Hawa. Fine. I'll only go halfway. But I won't be in a hurry, so don't worry if I'm not back so soon."

Bobby grumbled but relented and released her. She tossed him a smile, holding off on another cough until she was out the kitchen door. When she reached the halfway mark to the pond, she kept going. She hacked into her elbow a few more times on the way as she questioned her life choices. Once she reached the fence, Dani looked over her shoulder to check that the coast was clear.

Ducking through the opening, she tried to test out which kinds of inhales would more likely trigger her coughing fits and which would allow her to breathe in peace. Shallower breaths won out.

He was already waiting for her at the pond, staring out at the water. A cough rose up, unbidden, and escaped out of her mouth, signaling to Loki that she was there. He turned and beamed at her. "There's my girl!" He rushed forward and gathered her in his arms, lifting her off the ground in order to spin Dani around. She loved how excited he got at seeing her.

He set her feet back on the dirt but didn't release her from his tight embrace. "Happy birthday, baby," he murmured into her hair. Dani inhaled his scent of chocolate but ended up inhaling a little too deeply and ended up having to lurch away from Loki to avoid coughing all over him.

His brows furrowed as he listened to her. "Uh-oh. That doesn't sound like you accidently inhaled some dust."

Dani gulped in some air, eyes watering. "It's not," she confirmed. Her voice sounded extra congested that time.

Loki winced. "Oooh." His golden eyes suddenly flew open in alarm. "Sugar, what are you doing out here when you're sick?"

"I wanted to see you, and Bobby's house is full of people who think you're dead so…" She extended her arms out to their surroundings as if to say, "There you have it."

Loki placed his hands on his hips as he looked at her and shook his head in wry disappointment, though a smile couldn't stop from crawling its way onto his lips.

"What?" Dani asked.

"Nothing it's just… Mmh." He paused, as if debating on telling her.

"What?" Dani repeated, a smile making its way onto her face too.

"It's just that, uh…I was determined to give you a proper kiss for your birthday."

Dani's eyes widened into saucers as she stared at him, trying to detect any hint of a lie or joke. There was none. Throwing her head back, Dani sent her frustrations up into the air. "Are you kidding me!"

Loki let loose a cackle at her antics and stepped forward to shush her. "Shhh; not so loud, sugar baby. They might hear."

"Let them hear! I've been robbed!" Her following chuckles of self-mirth were interrupted by more coughing and congested hacking. "Uuuuugh, this is just not my daaaay," she moaned.

"Aaaw, poor baby," Loki cooed, smiling in spite of it all. He pulled her in for a hug. "That kiss is gonna happen, sugar. One way or another."

She looked up at him with the biggest, most pitiful brown eyes he'd ever seen. "You promise?"

Loki stared at her in silence for several seconds. "Crap, I'm almost tempted to just go for it."

Dani shook her head. "Please don't. I feel so gross."

Loki pinched his nostril together to mimic her nasal tone. "You sound gross too."

She slapped him on the chest for that. "Oh, sure. Make fun of the sick birthday girl."

"I'm sorry, sugar," he apologized, pressing a kiss to her forehead. She mumbled under her breath but melted into his arms nonetheless. "Well, lucky for you, I'm humble enough to not think you'd be satisfied with just a kiss for your birthday and brought you a little something."

"Whadja get me?" Dani asked, excitedly.

"For the girl who loves books, I decided to be predictable and get you another book." From thin air he produced a novel and Dani made grabby hands at it.

"I don't care if it's predictable. Gimme the book!"

"Yes, ma'am," Loki chuckled, handing it to her. Dani ran her hands over the spin and cover as she read the title. The Count of Monte Cristo. "I remember you said you were into Classics," Loki explained. "Did I do good?"

"Excellent. I don't have this one."

"Phew! That's always the worry of buying a book for a book lover. You're always worried you'll buy a book they already have."

"Well, you did good. Wado."

Loki pouted his lips as if she'd done something adorable. "Have I mentioned I love it when you speak Cherokee?"

Dani giggled as she nodded and tried to hide the smile on her face behind her book.

"This. This moment right here would have been the perfect moment to kiss you. Why you have to go and get sick, baby?"

Instead of an answer Dani let out a sneeze.

"Bless you."

"Wado." She dabbed at her nose with the tissue she kept in her pocket.

Loki shook his head ruefully. "Let's get you back to the house."

Dani wanted to protest but her aching head was quick to silence her. She gave a sigh and leaned against him as he walked her back to the fence. Stopping just before it, Loki pulled her in for another hug and stroked her hair. "You get to feeling better soon, baby."

A weak cough battered her soar throat. "I'll get right on it."

He placed a kiss on her cheek and vanished from sight.


The walk had exhausted her and she found herself growing tired again. Instead of staying in her room, she swung by to place The Count of Monte Cristo on her nightstand for later and pick up Return of the Guardian-King, the last of the series. She plopped herself down on the sofa in the living room turned library to read while being in the presence of Bobby and Reshen as they pondered the "Riddle of the Colt" as she'd begun to call it.

She was nearly finished with the book when her eyelids began to grow heavy. She'd rest them for a moment. Just a moment…

"Hey, Dani? Wake up, sweetie," Reshen's voice coaxed softly. Dani stirred and squinted up at the familiar features of her guardian.

"How long was I out?"

"About three hours, maybe. We didn't wanna disturb you with you feeling sick and all, buuut," he raised his brows pointedly. "That cake ain't gonna eat itself."

A smile crossed Dani's lips as she stretched and yawned. "Yeah. Better get to it before Dean decides he's done waiting."

"He was eyeing that thing when I left the kitchen."

Dani took the hint and hurriedly scooted off the sofa, much to his amusement, and followed Reshen into the aforementioned room. Inside the kitchen, was a small vanilla cake with the words Happy Birthday, Dani in green icing. Dani's favorite color. A green star-shaped candle was just being placed into the cake by Bobby. Dean turned at the sound of Dani's approach. "Oh, good, she's finally up. Cake time!"

Dani playfully narrowed her eyes at him as she folded her arms. "You do know that as the birthday girl, I get the first slice, right?"

Dean glanced at Sam as if to check that was true. Sam nodded. Dean frowned and grumbled under his breath. "Alright fine. What do we do now? Light the candle? Sing a song?"

Dani chuckled. "Nah. You don't have to sing. But repeat after me. Ulihelisdi Udetiyisgv." At the brothers frozen expressions, she repeated it back slowly and in increments. "Oo-lee-heh-lee-s-dee oo-dee-tee-yee-s-guh." All four males repeated it back haltingly. Dani smiled. "Great. You just wished me a 'happy birthday' in Cherokee."

Dean's lips curled up into a grin. "Cool."

Bobby lit the candle and the men stood back to give Dani some space. A nasty cough erupted from Dani and she hesitated. She cast a quick glance from her candle to the brothers then smiled again. "Actually, it's probably not a good idea for me to blow this out. Ya know, germs and all. So…" She turned to Sam and Dean. "Could you two do it for me?"

The boys looked surprised. "Uh, are you sure?" Dean asked.

She nodded. "Just wait for a second so I can think of a wish." Her wishes were more like prayers. So as Dani closed her eyes and thought, she sent a quick one up to God.

Lord, please save Dean. Save him from his deal.

She opened her eyes and gave a nod to the brothers. Sam and Dean bent low, looked at each other, then blew out the candle as one.

"Alright! Let's get to cutting this thing up," Reshen announced, producing a knife to do just that.

Bobby pulled out a small package wrapped in pale green paper from his back pocket and handed it to Dani. "Here ya go, Dani girl."

Unwrapping the parcel, Dani pulled out a knife about as big as the palm of her hand with a handle in emerald green details. "Oh, Yonu. It's a beauty. Wado."

Reshen gave her earrings made of turquoise and silver. She gushed over it as well and was just thanking them both again when Dean stepped forward with Sam and cleared his throat. "We, uh, we got you a little something too."

Bobby gave a slight cough. "They might not have been tinkering with the Impala like I told ya."

"We didn't think to wrap it," Dean added as he handed a small zip up case made of soft material to her.

"What's this?" Dani asked, unzipping it to peer inside. There were elastic bands set on both side of the case, but they didn't completely line up.

"It's for your remedies when you're on the go," Sam explained. "We noticed how you wrap the vials and bottles up in cloth to protect the glass when you stuff them in your bag. This should keep them organized and protected."

Dani's mouth dropped as comprehension set in. "Oh my – wado! Thank you, boys! This is perfect! I can fit twelve little bottles in this thing!"

Dean let out a relieved breath as Sam turned and muttered, "See, I told you she'd like it." Dean nodded his head in the annoyed fashion of one silently admitting, "Yes, yes, you did say that. Now shut up about it."

Dani did manage to get the first slice of cake, though Dean did try to make a grab for it. His hand got slapped away by Reshen.

Bobby scooted next to Dani and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Well, do you think your wish will come true?"

That's what he asked her at her birthday since she'd come to live with him. Instead of 'what did you wish for?' it was 'do you think it'll come true?' Cause everyone knew that if you said what you'd wished for it wouldn't happen.

Dani found her gaze focusing on Sam and Dean as they enjoyed their slice of cake and talked with Reshen about previous cases. She smiled hopefully. "I'm praying it does."

(Well, you had a brief appearance of Crowley. I know, I know; such a tease. *winks* Until next time, Dear Readers.)

Cherokee Words and Phrases
[*asterisks mean I am making a guess as to the pronunciations, basing it off what I know of the Cherokee language.]

Edutsi (āye-dew-gee) - Uncle

Eleni (a-lay-nee) – Ellen

Elisi (aa-lee-sĭ) – Grandmother

Gado Usdi (gah-dōh-oo-sdee) – What?

Guheyu (*gooh-hay-yooh) – Mischief

Hawa (hah-wah) or (hoe-wah) – Alright / Okay

Osiyo (oh-see-yōh) [Informal – (see-yōh)] – Hello

Ulihelisdi Udetiyisgv (oo-lee-heh-lee-s-dee oo-dee-tee-yee-s-guh) – Happy birthday

Wado (wah-doe) Thank you

Yo – [This word can be used in a variety of ways, but it is an equivalent to saying, "Oh gosh, oh man, oh geez," etc.]