This story is set just after the end of the episode "American Nightmare," Season 12, Episode 4. This story explores what might have happened if Magda Peterson had not been killed as she was in the actual episode. My chain of events varies quite a bit from what we saw on TV. (I also took the filter out of the character's mouths, and let them use the colorful language we all know they would, if they weren't on a broadcast TV episode.)
Sam and Dean were in the Impala, headed back to the bunker, having just departed the Peterson's farm. They had felt satisfied with the ending of this case, since they had been able to rescue the poor young girl, Magda Peterson, from her insane mother, and seen her placed on the bus to her Aunt Penny's farm in California. Sam fondly reflected on Magda leaning her head on him for support, and then Sam had given her his phone number. "If you need anything; anything at all, call me." She had looked at him with gratitude, and nodded.
Suddenly, Sam experienced a pain he had not felt in a decade. The piercing headache that was followed by a psychic vision. Sam gasped with pain, and Dean glanced over at him. "Sam? Sammy? Hey, are you ok?" Dean pulled the Impala to the side of the road, and stopped the car. "Sam! Talk to me!" Sam gasped, "Dean, it… it's a psychic vision…" He then stopped as the scene inside his head played out. Sam was horrified at what he saw. When the vision ended, and the pain subsided, Sam looked at Dean, with panic in his eyes. "Dean, it's Magda. She's in terrible danger. Someone is going to kill her." Dean squinted at Sam. "Magda?" Sam looked at Dean with a hint of exasperation. "Yes, Dean, Magda Peterson. The girl I just helped, at the farm. She was just put on the bus to California. But she's not going to make it."
Dean replied, "Well all right, let's go save the farmer's daughter. Again." He fired up the Impala, and looked at Sam. "Where to?" Sam closed his eyes, and searched his mind for clues in his psychic vision. "Umm… there was a bus stop, at a rest stop… Pleasant Valley, Missouri. The bus stopped for a bathroom break. She got off the bus, went to the restroom, and a guy… some guy on a black motorcycle, he followed her into the lady's room, and shot her with a silenced pistol. Dean, it was so cold. He didn't even say anything to her, when she looked at him with panic. He just blew her away." Dean thought about this for a few seconds. He remembered feeling sorry for all the girl had been through at her parent's farmhouse; not only the beatings, but the fact that she had lost her father and her brother, and watched the police haul away her insane mother. Dean said, "Yeah, we're not going to let that happen." He gunned the Impala, swerved back out onto the road, and took off with a burst of speed, and the bellowing roar of a V-8 engine.
Dean asked Sam, "Did your vision give us enough time to get there?" Sam retorted, "How the hell would I know, Dean!? Just drive faster!" Dean glanced at Sam. "Hey, calm down, Sammy, I'm on your side, ok?" Sam was intently glaring at the dashboard in front of him. "We can't let her die, Dean. Not after all she's been through." Sam pulled out his phone, and checked the navigation app, searching for any delays that might slow them down. Dean saw this, and said, "We'll get there, Sam. Hold on." He then floored the gas, moving the Impala past 90 mph.
Some time later, the Impala rumbled into the parking lot of the Pleasant Valley rest stop. It was still daylight outside. The sun was just starting to set. Dean parked the car near the restrooms, and looked at Sam. "You said this all happened at night, in your vision?" Sam nodded. "Yeah." Dean then reached for the handle of the driver's door. "Perfect, then I have time to go take a shit. Let these damn tacos out." Dean slammed the driver's door, and sauntered toward the men's room, leaving Sam alone with his thoughts. He remembered Magda's face. She was beyond cute. She was gorgeous, even with her hair cut short, and zero makeup. And, despite all that Sam had seen and experienced, he was horrified and moved with great pity when he witnessed the hideous scars on poor Magda's back, which her insane mother had forced her to administer to herself, with a whip. He remembered her leaning on him in the ambulance when it was all over, looking up at him with gratitude, and trust… and perhaps something else? Sam felt angry determination in his heart. He thought to himself, "I'm NOT going to let you die, Magda. I promise you."
Sam reached for the handle of the passenger door, and got out of the Impala. He walked around the rest stop, and soon found what he was looking for. It was a bus transfer sign. He studied the schedule intently, then, without looking too suspicious, noted where the entrance to the lady's room was. He remembered from his vision where he had seen the black motorcycle parked. No one was there yet, which was good. For once, his vision had come in plenty of time for them to prepare.
Before too much longer, Dean smugly strode up to him. "Dude, I think I dropped eight pounds in there, at least." Sam didn't even respond with a sigh or an eyeroll. Dean could tell, his brother was locked 'in the zone.' Dean often found it impossible to resist teasing Sam in moments like these. "Yo, Earth to Sam, you reading me?" Sam abruptly stated, "Quit fucking around, Dean. This is right where it happened. The assassin parked his black motorcycle here. He waited for Magda to walk past him to the lady's room, then he followed her and blew her away with a silenced pistol." Dean held up his hands as if to say 'I surrender.' "Okay, Sam, just relax… hey, it just occurred to me; doesn't this Magda chick have a cell phone?" As soon as he asked, Dean realized it was a stupid question. Magda's family had forsaken all modern conveniences, including cell phones. Dean started to take back his question, but Sam spoke up. "No, Dean, she doesn't have a damn cell phone. Her parents were off the grid, remember? She told me her Aunt Penny was going to give her one, in California." Dean bit his bottom lip, nodded, and accepted Sam's rebuke.
Hours later, it was night. Dean had stashed the Impala at the far end of the rest stop parking lot, around a corner, so it was not visible from the area of the lady's room. Sam and Dean had each found places to conceal themselves, and were lying in wait. Soon, a black motorcycle appeared. It stopped just where Sam had said it would, and the rider got off, still wearing his helmet, and knelt next to his motorcycle, pretending to work on it. Sam silently sent Dean a text message. "Rider is here." Dean responded with a thumbs-up emoticon. Barely a moment later, Sam saw the bus arrive. He messaged Dean once again. "Here we go. Bus is here. Get ready."
The large bus sighed to a stop, and the driver opened the bus doors, while calling out: "All right, bathrooms to the right, soda machines to the left. You have 20 minutes, folks, then we're off to Cali." Magda shuffled off the bus, then spotted the lady's room. She enjoyed the feeling of being able to stretch her legs as she walked across the parking lot. She barely noticed the figure in black, kneeling next to a black motorcycle. All she was thinking at that moment was, she really had to pee. This thought occupied her mind, so much so that she didn't notice the man in black silently stand up and follow her to the lady's room door. Magda pulled the door open, just as her peripheral vision finally warned her of a creepy figure in black coming up fast behind her. She gasped with terror as she saw him raising a pistol, with a silencer on it.
Before the creep could fire, Sam lunged from around the corner, yelling, "HEY!" He then knocked the pistol to the ground. At the same time, Dean burst out of the stall in the lady's room, where he had been hiding, and tackled the creep in black, while Magda sat in the corner by the sink, where she had fallen. She was completely terrified as she watched Sam and Dean beat the crap out of her would-be assassin. Dean kicked him in the privates, while Sam knocked the wind out of him with a vicious blow to the gut. Sam rapidly restrained the creep's hands behind his back with handcuffs. Sam then reached out to Magda, as she recognized him and Dean.
"SAM?! Wh-what's going on?!" She was completely terrified, and had tears coming out of both eyes. Sam helped her up, and asked, "Magda, are you okay? Did this asshole shoot you?" Magda unsteadily shook her head no. Sam breathed a sigh of relief, and hugged Magda. "Oh, thank God. Thank God." Yet, as he hugged her, Magda gasped out in sudden pain. "OUCH! Sam, my back…" Instantly, Sam remembered that poor Magda had a deeply scarred, badly injured back, thanks to her insane mother. He rapidly removed his hands from her back, while apologizing profusely for the clumsy mistake. Magda, however, did not remove her hands, as she hugged Sam close, and quietly wept. She was whimpering and sniffling as sobbing racked her body. It was all too much for her. First, she had been kept prisoner in her parent's basement, and forced to whip herself. Then, her father and brother had died, horribly. Then, her mother was dragged away by the police, obviously having gone insane. Then, just when she thought she was about to turn over a new leaf, some random asshole stranger nearly shot her at a rest stop.
Sam ever so gently put his finger under Magda's chin, and carefully tilted her head up. Her face was soaked with tears. Sam carefully wiped some away, while reassuring her. "Don't worry, Magda. I won't leave you again. Dean and I; we're going to take care of you. Okay?" Magda looked up at Sam, and nodded, then returned to her hug, laying her head against Sam's warm jacket. Her whimpering and sniffling started to subside. Sam was overwhelmed with emotion, and intense fondness for this young lady; so much so, that he put his hands on her shoulders, and kissed the top of her head. Magda didn't object.
Meanwhile, while Sam was comforting Magda, Dean was having great fun with the would-be shooter. He had dragged him behind the lady's room, out of view of the rest of the parking lot. There, he savagely beat the tar out of him, including breaking one of his legs. "Let's see you run away on one leg, asshole!" Dean then proceeded to thrash on him some more. "You want to shoot a poor, innocent girl like her, after she's already lost everything?" Dean gave him a few more hard rights and lefts to the face.
At that moment, Sam and Magda joined Dean. The would-be assassin glared at them all, spitting blood. Some of his teeth had been knocked out, and he had severe lacerations on his face. With contempt in his eyes, the creep said, in a heavy British accent: "You stupid, ignorant, bumbling American hayseeds. I am sent to clean up your mess, and this is what I get?" Sam aimed the silenced pistol at the man's head. "Who are you?" The creep contemptuously replied, "Arthur Ketch, British Men of Letters." Sam and Dean traded a look. Dean said, "Oh hell no, not another one of you guys." Ketch glared at Magda. "SHE is a monster. She needs to die. If you weren't so awful at your jobs, you would have killed her, nice and tidy, back on that farm."
Magda whimpered, "Sam, is that true? Am I a monster?" Sam immediately reassured her. "No, don't listen to him, he's a fucking moron." Ketch sneered at this. "You are a monster, young lady. The abilities you have? Those were given to you by a demon. Sam knows all about this, don't you, Sam?" These words caused Sam to bristle with rage. Ketch continued: "You can be angry all you want, but it's true. Demonic powers will always lead to demonic acts. It's only a matter of time." This statement touched a very raw nerve with Sam. Ketch saw his own pistol raised at his own head once more. He leaned forward until his forehead was touching the muzzle. His bloody, battered face twisted into a sickly smile. "You're both monsters, and you both need to die. Go ahead and shoot; this is far from over, I promise you." Sam squeezed the trigger, and with a muted poof, a bullet shattered Ketch's skull, and blood flew out of the back of the head as the bullet exited the other side. Then, when the body fell, Sam fired three more shots to the heart, just to be sure. Dean snickered, and nudged Sam. "Hey… 'shot through the heart, and you're to blame… no?" Sam rolled his eyes.
Magda had spared herself having to witness this gruesome violence by turning and hiding her face in Sam's jacket, when he raised the pistol to fire. When it was over, and Ketch's body lay crumpled on the ground, Sam put his hand on Magda's shoulder and gently led her away. Meanwhile, Dean tossed open the lid to the dumpster. Sam observed that the bus had departed, and that the rest stop was now empty of other people. Sam nodded at Dean, so Dean picked up Ketch's body, fireman-carry style, and heaved it into the dumpster. Dean was about to toss Ketch's gun in as well, but had second thoughts as he held it in his hands. "Hmm, nice little piece, complete with silencer." Dean glanced at the dumpster. "Thanks for the gun, Ketch!"
As Sam and Dean led Magda back to the Impala, they passed the black motorcycle. The key was still in the ignition. Obviously, Ketch had been planning on making a prompt getaway. A wicked smile crossed Dean's face. "Hey, Sam, hold on. I got an idea. Come over here and help me." When Sam heard Dean describe his idea, he sighed, "Come on, Dean…" but eventually agreed just to be done with it, so they could go. Sam reasoned with himself that it would take less time to help Dean than to argue with him. He helped Dean tip the dumpster on its side, then Dean wheeled the motorcycle up to it, and shoved it inside. The two of them then tilted the dumpster back to its correct position. Inside the dumpster, the heavy motorcycle was now directly on top of Ketch's body.
Magda was too shocked at the recent assassination attempt to offer much reaction to Dean's antics with the motorcycle, yet she did have enough presence of mind to make one request. When Sam and Dean started to lead her back to the Impala once again, she spoke up in a soft, scared voice; nearly a whisper. "Um, guys, is… is it ok if I use the restroom first? I honestly do need to pee." Even Dean had to smile at this, and Sam gallantly opened the restroom door for her. After warily making sure there were no more assassins in any of the stalls, Magda closed the door to do her business, while Sam and Dean stood watch outside.
When the door opened again, and Magda timidly walked out, both of the boys felt great sympathy for her. Dean started to put his hand on her back, in an effort to comfort her, but Sam was able to stop him. "Umm, Dean… she's badly hurt there, remember?" Dean was embarrassed. "Oooh, shit, that's right! Sorry about that." When they all got into the Impala, Magda got into the back seat behind Sam, and shut the door. Sam and Dean got in the front seats, but Dean didn't start the car just yet. Both Sam and Dean turned around in their seats to look at Magda. The reality of what had nearly happened to her started to sink in, and she had tears on her face once more, glistening off her skin in the darkness.
Sam spoke first. "Magda, we're sorry. Honestly. We should have taken you with us." Dean agreed. "Yeah, we didn't know that psycho was out there, but we should have known." Magda asked in a shaky voice, "Who was that guy? And… are you guys really Child Protective Services, or FBI?" Dean glanced at Sam. "You wanna give her the talk…?" Sam nodded, and started to explain. "We're not… actually FBI. But we do have decades of experience, all over the country, keeping people like you safe from psychos like him. And… lots of other things." Magda's brow furrowed in confusion. "Other things?" Dean sighed. "This is gonna sound insane, but it's true." Sam added, "Pretty much every monster you've ever heard of; ghosts, demons, vampires, werewolves, and a whole lot more… they're real. And we stop them, and we save a lot of people." Dean muttered, "Well, most of the time."
Sam continued, "That assassin was part of a fringe group, the British Men of Letters. They have already tortured both of us, and tried to kill us. We should have realized they've been following us, but we didn't imagine they'd be following you." Dean remarked, "Yeah, but we should have. And they're not going to stop." Dean looked apologetically back at Magda. "I'm sorry, but you can't go stay with your Aunt Penny. They'd find you, and probably kill both you AND her. Until we take care of these assholes, your safest bet is to hang out with us." Sam looked with surprise at Dean. "And, you'd be ok with that?" Dean replied, "Yeah! Why not? It'd be nice to really win one for once, right?" Dean glanced back at Magda. "Hey, how do you feel about secret bunkers? Huh?" A thoroughly confused Magda replied, "Umm… fine? I guess?" Sam sighed. "Dean, don't freak her out." Sam reached back to Magda, and placed his hand over hers. "Listen, I promise you, this will work out fine. We know what we're doing, and we'll take care of you. We'll make sure nothing like this happens to you again. Ok?" Sam added a comforting smile at the end of that sentence. Magda smiled in return, when remembering that these two had already saved her twice.
Magda did, however, voice one concern, and it was a good one. "I'm fine with this plan, but I need to tell my Aunt Penny something other than, 'I'm not coming to stay with you anymore, because I'm going off with two guys I met at the rest stop.'" Both Sam and Dean laughed at this, as Magda smiled. Sam was internally thrilled that she had shown this little bit of humor; it showed that her spirit was still alive, and had not been crushed.
Sam looked at Dean, and told him they should go out to meet Aunt Penny in person. Dean gave him a look. "Why the hell are we going to drive all the way out there? We can just call her." Sam explained, "Because, isn't Cass also in California, helping Crowley track down…" Dean nodded, and Sam smiled, and nodded his head toward Magda. Dean clapped his hand down on the steering wheel, and said, "THAT is a brilliant idea, Sammy!" Dean glanced at Magda, and was once again moved with pity at all she had endured. Dean then declared, "You know what, you're right. Let's do this!" Sam commented, "We can use the Fed suits when we meet her Aunt Penny." Magda smiled, and curiously echoed, "Fed suits?" Dean explained, "When we dress up to convince people we're FBI. But before we even get to your aunt's ranch, boy do we have a surprise for you." Sam said to Dean, "No no, don't tell her yet, you'll blow the surprise." Dean nodded in agreement. Sam said to Magda, "Trust me, it's a good surprise; you're gonna LOVE this." Dean twisted the Impala's ignition key, and the engine roared to life. "Okay, let's go see Aunt Penny! California, here we come!"
As the Impala rumbled away from the rest stop, and back toward the interstate highway, the rest stop's dumpster banged. Inside, Ketch's leg glowed in one spot, and the glow travelled up to his heart. The resurrection spell in his body (courtesy of his past relationship with Rowena) brought him back to life, and healed his wounds suffered at the hands of the Winchesters. However, he was still trapped in a dumpster with a 450 pound motorcycle on top of him. And his hands were still cuffed behind his back. He managed to get his hand into his jacket pocket, and felt his cell phone, only to find that the screen was smashed. He was forced to do something that he was loathe to do: he called out, "Help! HELP!" However, it was 2:00 in the morning, and there was no one else at the rest stop to hear his cries.
The Impala was stopped at a gas station along the interstate, refilling the gas tank. Sam decided that he loved having Magda with them on a long road trip. Dean played his usual rotation of Metallica, AC/DC, Ozzy and Led Zeppelin at a much lower volume than normal. Not only that, he had refrained from his usual prank of farting and turning on the heater. It was the best road trip behavior Sam had seen from his brother in years.
Magda had remained in the Impala with Sam, while Dean went to pay for the gas. Soon, he returned to the car with a plastic bag full of road food. Dean fell back into the driver's seat. "Okay, your turn." Sam and Magda got out of the car, and walked to the entrance of the gas station's mini-mart. Sam noticed that Magda stayed within two feet of him at all times. As soon as they entered, Sam saw Magda's eyes go straight to the restroom sign, and then she looked up at him. "Sam, could you watch out for me while I use the restroom?" Sam assured her, "Of course, go right ahead." He stood watch outside the lady's room once again.
Once they had both answered nature's call, Sam and Magda selected some road food. Sam saw that her selections were much the same as his; water, gum, and some fruit. Sam smiled as they approached the counter. "Good choices." The smile he received in return from Magda made him slightly weak in the knees. Just as the cashier was ringing up their purchases, Sam got a text message from Dean. "Hey, get me a couple of scratch tickets. I forgot." Sam sighed, and said to the clerk, "Yeah, could you also give me… five of the 'Lucky Devil' tickets, please?" The clerk appraised Magda's appearance, then looked back to Sam. "Those for you, or for her?" Sam explained, "Oh, no, they're for my brother; he was just in here." The clerk replied, "Sorry, new policy. We have to check everyone's ID for lottery ticket purchases. Especially if she appears to be under 18." Sam was about to retort to the clerk, when Magda fished her hand into her pocket. "It's fine, Sam… here." She then handed the clerk her ID. His suspicion melted and he gave Magda half a smile. "Well, happy birthday! Sorry, you sure don't look 19." He handed the ID back to her.
Sam looked directly at Magda. "Today's your birthday? Why didn't you say something?!" With an embarrassed smile, Magda shrugged. "It's not really a big deal… besides, I've been kinda distracted lately." Just as the clerk handed Sam the lotto tickets, Dean walked in to the store. "Dude, what's the holdup?" Sam handed Dean the bag of food, and asked Magda, "Hey, could you go to the car with Dean? I forgot something; I won't be two minutes." He was already moving back to the shelves as he said this, so Dean and Magda walked out of the store, back to the car. As soon as the doors slid shut, Sam hurried back to the clerk. "Tell me you have some cake here. Please." The clerk grinned, and said, "Pastry rack, across from the coffee machines." He pointed to the back of the store.
When Dean and Magda reached the Impala, Dean unlocked the back door for her, and she climbed in, as Dean plunked himself down in the driver's seat. Dean said, "All right, let's see what we got here…" as he dug into Sam's bag with a smile. "Haha! All right, Sammy! Lucky Devil scratch tickets!" He triumphantly held them up so Magda could see. "You know, one time, one of these suckers paid off big; paid for our entire road trip on a werewolf hunt." Magda giggled, then asked, "So, if you're not really FBI, how DO you guys earn money, while you're driving around the country?" Dean hesitated, and said, "Well… umm, you know; we… work… sort of… an odd job here and there." Magda slowly nodded, smiling at Dean, and said, "Uh huh…" Clearly not believing a word of this. Dean shrugged, thinking, "What the hell. She's obviously not stupid." He then said, in a matter-of-fact voice, "Phony credit cards. Bar bets. And, if we're lucky, sometimes if we save someone really rich, they reward us. But that's a rare exception. Most times, we have to take off before they call the cops on us." Magda replied, "That's so sad, when you do so much good, and help so many people…" Dean shrugged it off. "Ahh, it ain't so bad. I got my wheels, I got my brother, I got food and a roof over my head… hey, wait'll you see the bunker."
Finally, Sam emerged from the store, holding another plastic bag, and with a grin on his face. He opened the front passenger door, but did not get in. Instead, he also opened Magda's door. "Okay, first off, the birthday girl sits up front." Dean's eyes widened. "It's your birthday?! Oh, man, I LOVE birthdays! Sam's right, you sit up front!" Magda sighed, "Sam…" but she had a smile on her face, and switched seats with him. When she was up front, and Sam was in the back seat, he said, "Okay, now, this… is for you." He took a slice of cake in a plastic container out, and handed it to Magda. She accepted the cake, and said, "You guys…" but was unable to stifle the smile on her face. Sam assured her, "Don't worry, neither one of us can sing worth a crap, but… well, happy birthday, Magda."
Magda gazed at the cake, and looked at the car's ceiling, and drew in a deep breath. She was obviously trying to keep her emotions under control, but some tears made their way out. But these weren't tears of terror or mourning. They were tears of happiness. Sam saw this, and quietly said, "Hey, are you okay?" He hoped he hadn't triggered some terrible unknown memory somehow. Magda shook her head, and reassured them. "I'm fine, it's just… you guys have made me happier with this little slice of cake, than my own family had in years. Thank you, both."
Magda then blew a breath out, and wiped her eyes dry, then looked at the cake again, and giggled. "Sam, I can't eat all this." Sam said, "No problem!" He held up three plastic-wrapped forks. "We'll help you." Dean lunged for a fork. "Hell yeah we will!" Sam pulled the forks away from Dean, and said, "Hey! Birthday girl gets the first bite!" Magda unwrapped her fork, took the first bite, then divided the cake into three sections, and gave a piece each to Sam and Dean on paper napkins. The cake was gone in mere moments. Magda sincerely thanked them for the surprise. Sam actually apologized. "I was going to get you another follow-up gift, but I couldn't find anything good in the mini mart. I didn't think you'd be interested in air fresheners, work gloves, or travel maps." Magda laughed, and said, "Sam, you guys have saved my life. Twice. I don't think there's anything in that mini mart that will top that."
Back at the Pleasant Valley rest stop, Ketch had managed to extricate himself and his motorcycle from the dumpster, with the help of two police officers. They had been on routine patrol at 6:00 in the morning, and when Ketch heard their car, he resumed banging on the dumpster wall, and hollering for all he was worth. This had drawn the attention of one of the policemen, who, with his partner, managed to free Ketch from his smelly prison. Now, he patiently sat and answered their questions. "Yes, officer. I was here with my motorcycle last night. I was just walking up to the restroom door, when two hooligans jumped me, robbed me, then tossed me in the dumpster, along with my motorcycle." He then helpfully (and gleefully) gave very detailed physical descriptions of Sam and Dean. "Their car? Why, yes, I did see it, as a matter of fact. It was a black 1967 Chevrolet Impala four door, I believe. Oh, and I believe they also had a young teen girl with them. Short, dark hair, very beautiful. They may have kidnapped her. I recall seeing tears on her face." When the officers had asked all their questions, they offered Ketch a ride to the hospital. "Oh, thank you, but no; I'm quite all right. Nothing a good shower won't cure." Ketch got back on his motorcycle, and put on his helmet, which covered his smirking face.
The Impala continued on its way to California, and there was plenty to talk about along the way. Magda was very curious about Sam and Dean's livelihood. They both answered questions, but Sam could tell that Dean was starting to get just a bit weary of this, especially when Magda pressed on subjects that were still touchy and sensitive, such as Dean's four months in Hell. "So… you actually went down into Hell? Wow… what was it like?" Sam winced to himself, and Dean paused while giving Magda a side-eye glance. "Well, it was Hell. It sucked." Sam could tell that Dean was at the end of his patience with all these questions, and he didn't want to see Dean snap at poor Magda. Sam reasoned to himself, "Well, she's still a teenager, and she doesn't understand how much suffering we have endured." Then, he had a brilliant idea. Sam pulled out his laptop computer. "Say, Magda; you don't get carsick if you read in a moving car, do you?" Magda shook her head no. Sam pulled up a website, and handed his laptop over to Magda. "This is a series of books that was published… without our consent, but, it gives you a pretty clear picture of what our lives have been like. And, it will answer lots of your questions."
Magda took the computer, and held it in her lap. She read the title on the screen. "Supernatural, by Carver Edlund." When Dean heard this, he glared at Sam. "Aw, come on Sam, really?!" Sam defended himself. "Hey, I'm not a huge fan of this either, Dean, but it's a quick way to give her a lot of info about us, without us having to re-live every event. It's not like she can watch us on TV or anything. This is the only way." Sam then put his hand on Magda's shoulder, when he saw that she looked a bit hurt at that comment. Sam explained, "Not that we hate telling you about our lives, but some things are still painful for US to talk about. This way, you still get to learn about what we do." This satisfied Magda, and even went a long way toward placating Dean, although he still hung on to his grumpy expression, for appearance's sake.
Magda scanned down the list of book titles. "Wow, there's a lot of these… Wendigo, Bloody Mary, Bugs, Faith…" Dean interjected, "That's a good one." She smiled at both Sam and Dean, and said, "Well, let me get crackin!" She then clicked on the first book, titled merely 'Supernatural.' Magda started to mumble to herself as she rapidly read through the words. "So, what do you think? You think Sammy's ready to toss around a football yet?" Magda's face had a smile as she read this, which soon faded, along with her voice, as she gradually became more enraptured with the story. After only a few minutes, a horrified look appeared on her face. "Oh my gosh, you guys… your mother? On the ceiling?!" Sam and Dean said "Yup!" simultaneously. Magda returned her gaze to the screen, and muttered, "Take your brother outside as fast as you can and don't look back! Now, Dean, go!" Fortunately, she was now completely enraptured, and finished the first book in silence. Then the second, then the third.
Ketch stood silent in front of a desk, as his colleague, Mick Davies, recounted what had happened. Ketch noted the amusement in his voice. "So, you allowed two American hunters… two hayseed bumpkins, to get the drop on you, then kill you, and toss both you and your motorcycle into a rubbish bin? And, your target escaped? Do I have that right?" Ketch glared at Davies. "As I stated, I underestimated them. That WON'T happen again." Davies replied, "I should hope not. That resurrection spell is only good once, am I correct?" "Unless I happen to bump into that witch Rowena, and 'persuade' her to cast another spell, that is correct."
The Impala was making good progress westward. They were halfway through New Mexico by now. Dean glanced at the gas gauge, and saw it was just below ¼. Not only that, but his bladder was sending him increasingly urgent messages. He resolved to stop at the next gas station he saw. Dean glanced over, and smiled. Magda still had Sam's laptop open, but she had dozed off. Dean silently got Sam's attention, and nodded at Magda. Sam looked at her from the back seat, smiled, and quietly said, "Aawww.." He quietly pulled out his cell phone, and took a photo of her. Dean grinned, and very quietly told Sam, "Send me that." Sam, still smiling, nodded and replied, "On it."
Sam then wondered if perhaps Magda had sensed this with her psychic ability, because at that moment, she stirred awake. She rubbed her eyes, and looked over at Sam and Dean. "Hey guys…" Dean replied, in an overly cheerful voice; "See, Sammy? I told you she was still alive! You owe me a beer." Sam scoffed, and said, "Har Har." Magda stretched in her seat, and said, "Oh, those stories are amazing! I got as far as 'Bugs,' but then, I just couldn't keep my eyes open." Sam commented, "Yeah… you could honestly, probably skip that one, and not miss anything." Magda replied, "I got as far as you two squatting in a new home, and Dean fell in love with the steam shower, and then I dozed off." Dean smiled, and said, "Mmmm, I remember that shower. MAN, that was a nice shower." Magda cleared the computer screen and handed Sam his computer back, promising to continue with the Supernatural books the next day. Sam looked at his screen, and noticed that the power was down to 15%. He then had a brilliant idea.
Dean pulled the Impala off the highway, and up to a gas station. This particular gas station was directly across the street from a large shopping center. As Sam and Magda were walking to the gas station to use the restroom, Sam spied an electronics store in this shopping center. When he and Magda had used the restrooms, Sam sent Dean a text. "We're going across the street to the shopping center. Gonna get Magda something. Back in a few." Dean replied with a thumbs-up emoticon.
As Sam and Magda walked to the shopping center, Magda commented on something she had noticed in the Supernatural stories. "Sam, I'm so sorry about your poor girlfriend Jessica; dying the same way your mother did." Sam sighed, and replied, "Thanks, Magda; that was a long time ago, but I do still think of her… quite a lot, honestly." Magda was silent for a moment, then smiled, and said, "So… Dean's quite a character, isn't he?" Sam scoffed, and said, "That's one word for it. Much of the time, he has the maturity level of a 12 year old. He's actually been on his best behavior, since you're with us. Usually, his music would be way louder, as well as his singing along to that music, and burping, and farting, and challenging random strangers to races on the highway…" Magda laughed, and asked Sam, "How do you put up with that?!" Sam said, "Well, because, when crap hits the fan, and we're on a hunt, and stuff gets ugly, there's no one better to have in your corner. No one. Behind the childishness, he's by far the best hunter I've ever seen." Sam was silent for a moment, then smiled, and added, "Wait until you read about the prank war. It's in a few more stories."
With that, Magda and Sam arrived at the electronics store. Sam opened the door for her like the gentleman he was. He then led Magda to the cell phone counter, and asked her, "Okay, what's your favorite color? Let's see, we have black, white, silver, or… hmm; 'rose gold.' Whatever that is." Magda gasped, "Sam, are you serious?! You're getting me an iphone?" Sam said, "Yeah! You deserve it. It's still your birthday for a few more hours, isn't it?" Magda rewarded him with another heartfelt smile, and this one really did weaken his knees.
The store's saleslady came over to help them. Magda started to ask her about the small, basic model iphone, but Sam stopped that in its tracks. "No no no… get her the big one, with the most memory. What color did you want to go with?" Magda selected silver. The clerk put the box with the phone in a bag, and handed it to Sam, who then remembered to get her a car charger and cord, for when they were driving in the Impala. He then handed the bag to Magda.
Dean had long since used the restroom, filled the Impala's tank, and purchased some more road food. He now sat in the Impala, gazing at the electronics store across the street. He suspected he could guess what Sam was up to. This was confirmed when the door to the store opened, and Sam emerged with Magda, who was positively beaming with happiness, looking up at Sam's face. She was carrying a bag, and Dean knew what was in it. Dean said to himself, "Ha HA, there you go, Sammy! Nice move! Now, put your arm around her! Cmon Sam, do it!" Sam didn't do that, but Magda did wrap her arm around Sam's arm when they crossed the street together, and she kept it there, even when they were safely across the street. Dean shrugged. "Well, that's halfway there. Sam, you old dog…"
Magda and Sam reached the Impala. Magda opened the door, sat in the front, (after all, it WAS still her birthday) and declared to Dean, "You have the sweetest brother in the world!" She proudly held up her brand new iphone, still in the box, still wrapped in plastic. It had been too many years since she had last unboxed a new electronic device. Her happiness and enthusiasm were so contagious, it even affected Dean. He and Sam both smiled as she slowly unwrapped the packaging, and gently peeled the protective sheet off the screen of the phone. She plugged in the adapter to the Impala's cigarette lighter, and started charging her phone. She then looked at Sam and Dean. "You guys, this has been the BEST birthday I have ever had, by far. I'm not even exaggerating." Dean smiled, then twisted the Impala's ignition key. "Cmon, let's hit the road."
Several hundred miles to the east, Ketch was in a gas station mini mart. He waited until the store was empty, then approached the clerk. He lay a sheet of paper on the counter, which had photos of Sam, Dean, Magda, and the Impala. "Excuse me, sir; do you recall seeing these people, in this car?" Ketch then held up a twenty dollar bill. The clerk noted this, then studied the pictures. "Oh, yeah, the birthday girl. Yeah, they passed through here this morning. I think they were headed west." Ketch handed the clerk the money, retrieved his paper, and left the store. When he was outside, sitting on his motorcycle, Ketch calculated how far the Impala would be likely to travel on a tank of gas before stopping again. He then started his motorcycle, got on the interstate, and rode west.
Dean was pleased at the excellent time they had made, crossing all the way through Arizona after spending the night in a motel in New Mexico. Magda had relocated to the back seat. She assured Sam that she actually preferred it back there. "This way, I can lie down on my side or stomach, and it takes pressure off my back." Sam winced to himself when he remembered the horrible scars from the whip all over poor Magda's back. So, she lay back there, holding up her beloved silver iphone, reading more books from the online Supernatural: by Carver Edlund series, and also enjoying her brand of music on her earbuds. She and Dean had very different tastes in music; Dean loved his 80s hair metal and 70s classic rock, while Magda naturally loved her girly teen music. Dean had attempted to humor her by telling her 'Cmon, let's hear some! Lay it on me.' She had her iphone plugged into the car's stereo via an adapter for approximately 30 minutes before Dean had all he could take, cried "uncle," and begged her to unhook her iphone. Magda had a similar reaction to Dean's blaring metal. So, they agreed on a truce. Dean would play his metal at a reasonable volume, and Magda would listen to her girly music on her earbuds.
Magda glanced over, and saw Sam peering over his shoulder at her. She took out an earbud, and said, "What's wrong, Sam?" Sam smiled, and replied, "Nothing, just making sure you're all right back there. So, uuhh, which book are you on?" "I just started, "Hell House." Dean looked at Sam. "Ahh, she's gonna read about the prank war! Where I pranked the crap out of you." Sam scoffed, then Magda put her earbud back in, after returning Sam's smile. After a few minutes, both Sam and Dean were startled when Magda suddenly laughed out loud… really laughed hard. She then said, "Oh my gosh, Sam?! Super glue on a beer bottle? That's brutal!" Dean scowled, his grip on the steering wheel tightened, and he shook his head slightly, as Sam gave him a smug look. Magda chuckled away in the back seat.
After a few hours more, Sam and Dean arrived at a gas station in Barstow, California. They all got out of the Impala. They all looked at the barren desert land all around them. After 15 minutes of waiting, a familiar old Ford pickup truck appeared, and Castiel exited the vehicle. He nodded in acknowledgement. "Sam, Dean…" He then looked curiously at Magda. Sam handled the introductions. "Cass, this is Magda. We saved her on our last job, and as it turns out, someone's trying to kill her. The… British Men of Letters. So, we're going to watch over her for a while." This pleased Castiel, and he nodded his head to Magda. "Hello." Magda smiled and returned the greeting. Sam told her, "This is our friend, Castiel, and he… he's an angel." Castiel elaborated, "I am an angel of the Lord." Magda was unsure if Sam and Dean were putting her on, so she offered an uncertain, "Uhh… huh. Okay?"
Sam could sense her uncertainty, which he expected. He glanced at Dean, and Dean nodded. Sam said to Magda, "I'll prove it to you. Remember I said I had a surprise for you?" Magda said, "What? I thought it was this iphone!" Sam chuckled, and said, "No, it's much better than an iphone. But I need you to trust me for a second. This will sound strange, but… could you show Cass what happened to your back?" This shocked Magda. "What?! Sam…" She was actually a bit upset, that Sam would mention something that personal to someone she had just met. Sam pleaded with her, while deploying his 'puppy dog eyes,' as Dean called them. "Magda, sweetie, please trust me. I promise you, this will be worth it." Only the memory of how Sam and Dean had saved her life (twice) forced Magda to play along with this.
She slowly turned her back to Castiel, and lifted up her shirt, revealing her horribly scarred, cut and bruised back. Castiel was shocked, then he felt outrage. He took a step forward, and growled, "Who did this to you?!" Dean answered him, "We took care of that, and I'll fill you in later, but do you think you could fix her up?" As Magda let her shirt fall back down and faced Castiel, he said, "Of course." He started to raise his hand toward Magda's forehead, yet she did not like this. Sam gently said, "Magda, it's okay. I promise." She looked at Sam, then back at Castiel, who assured her, "This won't hurt a bit. Most humans enjoy the sensation." Magda squinted and shut her eyes hard, obviously afraid. Castiel touched her forehead, and Magda saw a brilliant blue-white light, even though her eyes were shut, and felt a wonderful, powerful feeling sweep through her entire body, from head to toe. It was euphoric. And then it was gone.
Magda opened her eyes, and asked in amazement, "What WAS that?!" Castiel answered, "Your back is completely healed. I also took the liberty of clearing up that yeast—" Sam cut him off. "Whoa, that'll do, Cass!" Castiel looked at Sam with confusion, while Dean chuckled. However, Magda was much more interested in the condition of her back. She slid her hands underneath her shirt, and felt her back as well as she could. She felt no scars, no cuts and no bruises. "That… that's not possible." Sam gently asked her to lift up her shirt again, and took a picture with Magda's iphone. He then handed the phone back to Magda, so she could see for herself. She saw a photo of her own back, with only young, smooth, unblemished skin. Not a hint of the prior damage. Once it had sunk in that she was, in fact, completely healed, she sincerely said 'thank you' to Castiel with a smile. Castiel returned the smile and said, "You're welcome." He looked pointedly at Dean. "It's nice to have some gratitude from someone after I heal them." Dean merely rolled his eyes.
After this, Castiel excused himself. "I must be going. Crowley and I are still trying to track down the latest vessel of Lucifer—" Castiel was interrupted when the horn to his truck suddenly honked. Everyone looked, and Crowley was seated in the truck. He had obviously teleported in. He looked at Sam, Dean and Magda. "Moose, Squirrel… and, who is this charming young thing?" Sam felt a surge of fear. He did NOT want Crowley setting his evil, slimy, corrupt sights on Magda. Sam retorted, "None of your goddamn business, Crowley." He then put his arm around Magda's shoulders and steered her away from Crowley. "Please, come with me. We need to get you away from him, pronto." Magda didn't argue; she loved the feeling of Sam's arm around her shoulders. Crowley shrugged, and snickered; "I was only trying to be polite."
Castiel climbed back into his truck, and glared at Crowley. "Move over." Crowley retorted, "I could be in L.A. in the blink of an eye. It's not my fault your wings are broken." Castiel started up his truck, and started to drive away. Magda watched the truck leave, then asked Sam, "Who was the British guy?" Sam replied, "He's Crowley, he's the King of Hell… or, he was once. Anyway, he's the last person on Earth you want to associate with." Magda accepted this explanation, then smiled up at Sam. He still had his arm around her shoulder. She moved in and turned this into a full hug. "Now you can hug me back, without hurting me, Sam." She looked up into his eyes. "Thank you for that surprise. Healing my back wounds was amazing. I thought I'd have to live with them for the rest of my life." She then lay her head against Sam.
Dean had been watching Castiel's truck drive away, and turned back to the Impala. He then saw Sam and Magda, approximately 50 feet away. Dean saw Magda hug Sam with a smile, and Sam then returned this hug. Even Dean Winchester at his most immature knew that this was not a moment to interrupt. He turned his back, and started to refill the Impala's tank with gas. After a minute, he couldn't resist glancing back, and Sam and Magda were still locked in their hug. Dean smiled, and thought to himself, "All right Sammy! That's my BOY!"
That evening, the Impala was parked at a motel, deeper into California. They had managed to find a room with three single beds. Magda was already dozing off, lying on her bed. Sam beckoned to Dean, and they quietly stepped out the back door, and slid the sliding glass door closed. Here, they could speak without Magda hearing them, and still be able to keep an eye on her. Sam looked at Dean with a somewhat helpless expression. "Dean, I need to talk to you. I, um… I think I've fallen in love with her." Sam had decided to just lay it out there. Dean nodded, and said, "Yeah, I figured. Hey, man, I can't blame you. She's a great… really great kid. Hell, I'll say it; she's adorable. But, man, she's still a KID." Sam winced, and said, "Not exactly, Dean. That birthday she just had? She just turned 19." Dean raised his eyebrows. "Really? No shit! She sure doesn't look 19…"
Sam half-smiled, and said, "Remember when we were on that case at Truman High, and you were the P.E. coach, and you were scanning the roster for cheerleaders over 18? Well, by your standards…" Dean smirked at this memory, then said, "Well, yeah, that makes her legal, so at least the cops won't be after you… but, man, that's still a 14 year age gap. Are you sure, man? Does she know how ancient you are?" Sam scoffed. "Whatever. I'm still four years younger than YOU." Dean clapped his hand on Sam's shoulder. "Sammy, you shouldn't go by what I'd do, or what I think. You know me; if I didn't know her, and I saw her at a bar, I'd be trying my damndest just to bed her that night so I could take off the next morning. That's not you. If you and her are both okay with it, then go for it. That's how I feel."
Before they went back inside, Dean said, "Wait a minute… if Magda's over 17, how come that hot wiccan child services chick put her on the bus?" Sam replied, "Magda told me; they started a file on her when she was still under 18, and even though they didn't have to help her, because she'd aged out, that was just the CSP worker trying to help her out one last time. She was just being nice."
They quietly entered the hotel room, and Dean headed straight for the bathroom. Sam looked at Magda. She had fallen asleep with her phone still playing music. One earbud had fallen out of her ear, and she was sprawled awkwardly on the bed. Sam gently removed the other earbud, and turned off her phone. Magda's eyes opened halfway, and she smiled. "Sam…" Sam assured her it was time for bed. "Dean and I are turning in right now." Magda nodded, and Sam carefully pulled the blanket up and over Magda. She grasped it and lay on her side. Dean was right; she looked absolutely adorable. Sam couldn't resist kissing her forehead. "Goodnight, Magda." She smiled, and replied, "Goodnight, Sam."
Dean emerged from the bathroom, and motioned for Sam to come over to him. Dean then whispered, "Dude, I saw a bar on the way in, it looked pretty rockin'. I'm going to go check it out. You can stay here with her. Don't wait up." Sam whispered, "Dean, I know you. Walk to the bar, because you'll be in no condition to drive when you leave." Dean smiled, gave a double thumbs-up, and silently left the motel room. After the door quietly closed, Sam sighed, yet he still had a smile on his face. He shook his head, and went to use the bathroom. After relieving himself, washing his hands, and brushing his teeth, he slipped on his basketball shorts and t-shirt that he slept in, and silently walked over to his single bed. He lay down, and waited for sleep to come. As his night vision increased, he could see the form of Magda several feet away, softly breathing in her sleep. Sam smiled, and as he started to drift away, resolved to himself, yet again, that he must do everything in his power to keep this wonderful girl safe.
In the next chapter, we will see what happens when Ketch confronts the Winchesters and Magda again, and we will also see what happens when they meet her Aunt Penny. We will also see what happens with Magda and Sam's fondness for each other.