CHAPTER TWO
In Chapter One, we saw how Sam and Dean saved Magda from being murdered by Ketch. They also met with Castiel in California, who healed Magda's back from the horrible scars that her insane mother forced upon her. Now, we follow Sam, Magda and Dean into California, as they meet her Aunt Penny on her horse ranch. But, Ketch is back, thanks to a resurrection spell, and he is hot on their trail.
Sam opened his eyes, and he was in the Impala with Dean, and Magda in the back. They were driving down a sunny, dusty country road in California. Magda was giving directions to her Aunt Penny's ranch, when suddenly, the back window of the Impala exploded. A hail of gunfire ripped through the car, and one of the shots hit Sam in the elbow. Dean desperately tried to accelerate, but lost traction on the loose gravel road, and fishtailed into a ditch. The Impala was helpless. Sam looked in the back seat, and Magda's body was riddled with bullet holes, and her neck was broken. Sam cried out, "Magda! NOO!" Then, a figure all in black, on a black motorcycle, approached the Impala. Sam heard a voice with a heavy British accent. "I told you, this was FAR from over." Sam screamed Magda's name, as Ketch reloaded his uzi submachine gun, carefully took aim at Sam's head, and—
Sam woke up with a start. A terrible dream. Or was it a warning? Or, a psychic premonition? He could see, Magda was still safely asleep in her bed. He let out a sigh, and lay back down.
Hours later, Dean stumbled in. Sam glanced up from his bed. Dean stumbled over to his bed, and faceplanted down onto it. He was out like a light. Sam could smell the odors of alcohol and bar smoke coming off of his brother. Another night at a bar for Dean Winchester. Sam shook his head and tried to get back to sleep. After an hour of dozing, he heard Magda stirring. She got up, and quietly went to the bathroom. Sam knew he would not get any more sleep, so he sat up, and turned on one of the nightstand lights.
When Magda came out of the bathroom, she saw that Sam was awake, and quietly said, "Good morning, Sam!" Accompanied by another one of her award-winning smiles. As Sam returned her greeting, he was certain that no one could possibly be a grumpy morning person when waking up to a smile like hers. Sam yawned, and ran his fingers through his hair. Magda could smell the odor of alcohol coming off of Dean. "Well, he had an interesting night, didn't he?" Sam chuckled, and said, "Typical night for Dean. He'll be out for hours." Sam thought for a moment. He wanted to go for a morning run, but Dean was in no condition to protect Magda. "Say, I'm going to go for a jog. There's a nice running track a little ways from here. Want to come with?" Magda brightened up even more, and said, "Sure! I used to run track when I was in school. It's been a while, but I'd love to try it again."
After digging through their travel bags, Sam found a pair of shorts that didn't look too baggy on Magda. He just tightened the string to fit her slim body. She threw on a t-shirt, and they headed off to the track, leaving Dean in the motel room to sleep it off. When they got to the ¼ mile track, Sam was immediately impressed that Magda knew to stretch before running. Sam said, "I usually like to do two miles." Magda replied, "Okay, so, eight laps around the track." Sam told himself to take it easy and not leave Magda in the dust. He didn't want to discourage her. Yet when they started running, it was the total opposite. Magda took off like a shot, and her lead only widened after the first lap. Sam muttered "Crap! Look at her go!" He started running all-out, but Magda still lapped him. And, after the first mile, she lapped him again. Sam was finishing his 6th lap out of 8, when Magda was done. She started her cool-down walking lap, while Sam finished his last two.
To his credit, Sam took it like a pro, and was laughing when he joined Magda for his cool-down. They walked side by side around the track. "Look at YOU! I think you're a little better at running than you let on, aren't you? Magda grinned. "I ran marathons, and also did relay and sprinting, when I was in school. Before… you know." Sam said, "Yeah. I know." She meant, before her mother went insane, dragged her family to live off the grid in the middle of nowhere, and imprisoned poor Magda in the basement, and forced her to whip herself.
After they had both cooled down, and finished a bottle of water each, they returned to the motel together. When they entered their room, Dean lifted his head up off the pillow. He managed to say, "Where you been?" Sam grinned. "We went for a run on the track, and she lapped my ass. Twice." Dean grunted in reply, and his head fell back down on the pillow. He went back to sleep. Sam thoughtfully nodded his head, looked at Magda, and said, "He's got about four more hours to go, before he's up on his feet again. At least he hasn't hurled yet." Magda asked, with concern in her voice, "Will he be okay?" Sam dismissively waved his hand. "Oh yeah, he'll be aces. I've seen him way worse than this. On a scale of one to 'take him to the hospital,' this is maybe… a six." Magda giggled.
Sam then said, "Well, we both need a shower… ladies first." Magda thanked him, while at the same time, the naughty part of her mind thought, "Why don't you join me, Sammy? I'd make sure you got good and clean!" Naturally, she didn't say this out loud. She had no way of knowing that the naughty part of Sam's mind was thinking much the same thing.
After their showers, Sam walked out of the bathroom while buttoning up his flannel shirt. He lifted his foot and shoved Dean in the butt. "Hey, sleeping beauty, get up. Your turn in the shower, because I'm not riding with you in the car smelling like that." Dean groaned, but rolled over onto his back, and stared at the ceiling. Then, he managed to do a sit-up, and put his feet on the floor. He was an absolute disheveled mess. Sam narrowed his eyes. "Is that… lipstick on your collar?" Dean cracked half a grin. "Heh, yeah… what was her name… Misty? Missy? Whatever. She was cute, man, and she invited me to… hang out… with her on her lunch break." Sam said, "Lemme guess… back seat of her car?" Dean replied, "No, man… in the break room. On the sofa. It was actually pretty comfortable." Sam suddenly remembered that Magda was in the room with them. "Great, so you've had your fun night; could you go take a shower, please?" Magda dutifully pretended to be ignoring their conversation while studying her phone, but the edges of her mouth had a smile. Dean didn't see this as he shuffled unsteadily into the bathroom. When the door closed, Magda looked at Sam, and laughed. "He's just like he is in these stories, isn't he?" Sam sighed, and said, "Yeah, but, like I said; when crap hits the fan, and lives are on the line, there's no one better."
After Dean emerged from the shower and shuffled out of the bathroom, the three of them had breakfast at a diner, then walked up to the Impala. Sam observed Dean was still unsteady on his feet. "Okay, Dean, gimme the keys. I'm driving this stretch. You lay down in the back seat." Dean said, "Sounds good to me." Dean sprawled out in the back seat, which meant Magda sat up front with Sam, which pleased her greatly.
Ketch was anything but pleased. He had been hoping to catch the black Impala on a lonely, straight-as-an-arrow highway in the barren desert. This had not happened. Now, they were in the heavily populated areas of California, which meant that the Impala could have gone any number of different routes. They could be anywhere by now. He was sitting at a rest stop, studying his map, when his cell phone rang. It was Mick Davies. "We just discovered something that may interest you. Your target, Magda Peterson, has an aunt in California. I am texting you the address to one Penny Peterson. You're welcome." Much as Ketch disliked the disdainful attitude coming from Mick Davies, a glorified paper pusher, he knew that this was an invaluable piece of information. He now knew the Winchester's destination.
The Impala had been driving along quietly for some time now. Dean was softly snoring away in the back, and Sam was at the wheel, lost in thought. He was remembering the dream he had the night before, where they were all killed, apparently by Ketch, even though Sam knew they had left him dead in a dumpster… with his motorcycle on top of him, no less. Sam glanced over at Magda, and was surprised to see tears on her face. "Hey, Magda, what's wrong?" She looked up at him, and said, in a frail, broken voice; "Sam, you died?! You were stabbed in the back with a knife?" She was reading the Carver Edlund book 'All Hell Breaks Loose, Part 1.' Sam smiled and said, "Aww, honey…" He held out his right hand. "Come here." Magda slid across the seat and leaned against Sam, who put his right arm around her. He rubbed her shoulder, and kissed the top of her head. "Now, yes, that did happen, but as you can see, I'm back!" Magda sniffled, and said, "I know, Sam, but I still hated reading that, when something bad happens to you. I like you… I like you a lot." Sam replied, "I like you too, Magda… a lot." Even though both of them desperately wanted to, neither of them was ready to use the other four-letter word that starts with L… and sounds like LOVE. Magda made no move to return to the passenger seat. In fact, she adjusted her position so that she was a little closer to Sam. He glanced down at her and smiled, and kept his right arm around her.
After another 15 minutes, there was a noise from the back seat. Dean grunted, and started to stir. Magda sighed, looked at Sam with a smile, then reluctantly slid back over to the passenger seat. She would have been quite content to spend the rest of the trip cuddled up with Sam, but she wasn't quite ready to make a display of it in front of other people. Dean then propped himself upright, and asked, "Sam… where the hell are we?" Sam replied, "a couple of hours from the motel from last night." Sam glanced back at his brother, and decided to tease him a bit. "It took you quite a while to get upright after this one! Must be getting older, huh Dean?" Dean almost retorted, and in fact had an F-bomb on the tip of his tongue, when he remembered Magda was looking on. "F… Forgot what I was about to say. So, kid, how was your evening? And, did you really lap Sammy twice on the track?" Magda grinned and nodded, giving Dean just the opening he needed. "Wow, must be getting OLDER, huh Sammy?"
Sam accepted that witty retort gracefully, but then told Dean about something that was considerably less amusing. He told Dean about his nightmare, where Ketch killed them all. Dean thought about this. "Was it like one of your psychic visions, with the headache and all that?" Sam shook his head. "It was a dream, Dean, but it was a very vivid dream. There were no gaps like in a regular dream. I remember every second of it; all the sights, sounds, and how it all felt." Dean considered this, and said, "Well then, we need to take some precautions. Magda, how much farther to your Aunt Penny's ranch?" Magda tapped on her phone, bringing up the navigation app. "Umm, about 200 more miles." Dean studied the map, and saw that there were plenty of towns before they arrived. He nodded his head, and said, "Ok, here's what we'll do…"
Sam thanked one of their local hunter friends in California. He hung up the phone, and grinned at Dean. "They're less than ten miles from here." Dean nodded, and explained to Magda. "We heard of two sisters; vampire sisters, and we've let them live because they never kill people. One works at a blood bank, one works at a hospital, and they both skim fresh human blood that way. Or, they take cattle here and there. But never people. We're going to make them a deal." Sam added, "Stay behind us, though. Just to be safe." Magda immediately nodded her head in agreement.
The Impala pulled up to an attractive home on the edge of a small town. It was the last one at the end of a small, two-lane road. There were "No Soliciting" signs prominently posted. The Impala rumbled up to the driveway, and stopped. Sam, Dean and Magda got out. Dean walked up to the door of the house. All the shades were closed, since it was still daylight. Dean rang the doorbell. After a moment, the door opened a few inches. "Who are you? What do you want?" Dean squinted through the gap of the door. "Dean Winchester, and my brother, Sam. We just want to talk. We're not here to make any trouble." From inside, they heard a voice exclaim, "The Winchesters?!" Sam called to them, in his most reassuring voice, "We promise, we're not here to hurt you. We have a proposition for you. I think you'll like it."
After a short discussion, the door opened the rest of the way. Dean carefully stepped inside, as did Sam, while holding Magda's hand. She was growing very nervous about this whole situation. Sam shut the door behind him. The house's living room was quite dark, with low electrical lamps, and some flickering candles. Two attractive women stood near the fireplace. Slim, dark hair, but with very uncertain eyes. One of them spoke. "I'm Mary, and this is my sister, Teri. What brings America's most famous hunters to our home?" Teri spoke up, earnestly saying, "We haven't hurt any humans, we promise!" Mary added, "That's right. We don't want to fight. We just want to exist. We haven't even turned any humans into vampires." Sam held up his hands. "We know. We get it. And, we don't want to fight either, I promise."
Mary pointed and the machetes hanging from Sam and Dean's waists. "Then what are those for?" Dean grunted, "Just a precaution. In case the talks go sideways." Teri nodded at Magda. "Who's she?" Sam answered, "She's… my friend." Teri replied, "Ah. Your girlfriend. So, is this about her?" Sam said, "Sort of. See, Magda has psychic powers, like I used to. There's an assassin from the British Men of Letters, and he's trying to kill her, just because she has these powers." Dean noticed Mary and Teri bristled at the sound of 'British Men of Letters.' Dean asked, "You've heard of them?" Mary replied, "Oh yeah. They're wiping out Vamp nests nationwide."
This was actually good news for Dean. He explained, "Great. That's where our deal comes in. See, we have it on good authority that this assassin is going to attack us, soon. Now, we already killed him once, but apparently, he used a resurrection spell, and…" Teri interrupted. "You want us to make sure he stays dead." Sam said, "Yes… and also, we want him to really feel it." Mary and Teri looked at each other. Dean then said, "The deal works like this. We catch this asshole, bring him to you, and you two… drain him, gut him, make sure he feels it, then we'll burn what's left with salt." Mary and Teri looked uncertain. Teri said, "How do we know this isn't a hunter trick, to get us to turn on a human, so you'll have an excuse to kill us?"
The reply came from Magda, of all people. Although she was still quite nervous, she spoke up. "Excuse me, but… I need this psycho off my back. I'm like you. I have a crazy person out to kill me just because of who I am, even though I don't want to hurt anyone; I just want to be left alone and live my life with the people I care about." She glanced at Sam with a little smile. This definitely had an effect on Mary and Teri. Dean added, "Besides, you must be tired of living off of cold human blood and beef blood; here's a chance for the real deal. Warm and fresh from the tap. AND, you'll get a little payback against the British Men of Letters. Deal?" Mary still looked uncertain. "And, when it's over, you'll just… leave us alone?" Sam said, "Absolutely. As long as you keep doing what you're doing, and not hurting people, we'll leave you be." Mary and Terri nodded at each other, then looked at Sam and Dean. "Deal."
Ketch studied the roadmap. He knew where the Peterson ranch was, and there was only one road in or out. Therefore, his target would have to come along this road. After several hours, finally, he saw a black 1967 Chevrolet Impala approaching. He zoomed in on the license plate, just to be sure. CNK80Q3. Ketch slid the visor of his helmet down, and started up his motorcycle. When the Impala drove past his hiding spot, Ketch peeled out after it. He pulled out his uzi machine gun… but there was only the driver in the Impala. This was a trap.
No sooner had Ketch realized this, than his motorcycle was struck hard from behind by a plain, white Ford Edge rental car, with Sam Winchester at the wheel. Magda squealed with delight as Ketch slid out of control, as did his motorcycle. The Impala came to a stop far ahead. Sam was slowing down the Ford Edge, and when he saw Ketch trying to get up, he deliberately hit him at roughly 15 miles per hour. Hard enough to knock him back on his ass, but not hard enough to kill him. Not only that, but the uzi slid out of his grasp. Dean turned the Impala around, and drove back to meet them.
When Sam stopped the rental car and put it in park, Magda happily reached over and gave him a little kiss. Sam would have loved to indulge some more, but he was anxious to get out of the car and make sure Ketch was not securing another firearm. Magda started to open her door, when Sam put his hand on top of hers. "Please, stay behind me, okay?" Magda smiled and nodded. She knew that this was not an order borne out of male chauvinism, but rather, a plea for safety borne out of love and concern. Ketch was deadly as long as he was still breathing air, and Sam didn't want him to have any chance of killing Magda. Sam approached Dean and Ketch, with Magda trailing well behind him. Ketch was out cold, and his legs were both broken, along with several ribs. Still, Sam rushed over and handcuffed Ketch's arms behind him. Dean then put on another pair of cuffs. Dean also picked up Ketch's damaged motorcycle, and pushed it off an embankment, where it fell into a massive patch of blackberry bushes. It was swallowed whole, and would not be discovered for some time. More than enough time for what Sam and Dean had in mind.
Sam looked down at Ketch, who had just awakened, and said, "Lemme guess… resurrection spell? Nice, but those only work once, if I'm not mistaken." Although he was in terrible agony, Ketch looked up at Sam and Magda in rage. "You… you two think you are defeating a real monster, don't you? You two are the demonic monsters—" This stopped after Sam kicked him in the neck. He then snarled at Ketch, "Just because a person has unusual powers, does NOT mean he or she absolutely will use them for evil. Dean and I have seen several 'monsters' who never hurt anybody; in fact, they helped us. And we let them go. But we're not going to let you go, you murdering psychopath."
Sam and Dean then picked up Ketch, and tossed him into the back of the rental Ford Edge. With the rear seats folded down, there was more than enough room for Ketch to sprawl out helplessly. Sam looked at Ketch, then looked at Dean. "Ehh, I still don't trust him, Dean. Here, I have an idea…" Sam then lashed out with a collapsible police baton, and broke both of Ketch's arms. Ketch hollered in pain. Dean then zapped Ketch unconscious with a taser. "There, now you won't have to listen to him crying like a bitch the whole way." Dean started back to the Impala, sending a text message to the vampire sisters as he did so.
Dean had contacted their hunter friend in California, and gotten permission to use their hunter's cabin for the night. Sam and Dean started up their vehicles, and drove the short distance to the cabin. Fortunately, it was far out away from any towns, so they would not be interrupted. Sam and Dean pulled up to the hunter's cabin, and saw in the darkness that a Subaru station wagon was already parked there. The sisters Mary and Teri were waiting. Sam and Dean manhandled Ketch out of the rental car, hauled him into the cabin, and roughly dumped him in a wooden chair. Dean looked at the sisters. "There you are, ladies! One member of the British Men of Letters, and he's all yours. Both his arms and legs are broken, but all of his blood is there. Enjoy."
Ketch looked up at them all, and hissed, through the incredible pain he was feeling; "You… monsters, the lot of you. We won't stop until… ALL… eradicated…" Ketch glared directly at Magda. "…Starting with YOU." Rather than feeling fear, Magda instead felt rage. People like this were determined to ruin; to end her life. Well, she was at her limit. She picked up a hammer, and smashed his face… claw end of the hammer first. This opened a mighty gash in Ketch's face, and the blood flowed as he thrashed in agony. Dean held him still as Magda spat in his face, adding insult to injury.
Sam looked at the sisters, and they had definitely noticed the bloody gash. They were both enraptured, and their mouths opened, and their vampire fangs slowly grew visible. Sam put his arm around Magda, and steered her toward the door. "Come on, honey; you don't want to see this." As Dean was leaving with Sam and Magda, he called back to Mary and Teri: "Remember, make him FEEL it." Whether they heard him or not was irrelevant, because they both lunged at Ketch. Dean winced, said, "Oooh.." to himself, then stepped out of the cabin and shut the door.
As Sam, Dean and Magda all waited outside the cabin in the darkness, Magda said to both of them, "Thank you guys, so much. You've saved me, once again." Although it was nearly pitch black out in the country, with no artificial lights around, and she couldn't make out their expressions, Magda could practically hear the smiles on their voices. Dean said, "Hey, don't mention it." And Sam said, "Anything to keep you safe. Anything." Then, a barely muffled, long scream of agony from Ketch emanated from the cabin. Dean snickered, then said, "Hey, Sam, how about you and Magda crash out in the rental car for a while, maybe get some Z's, while I keep watch in the Impala. Sam, I'll wake you up in a few hours, so you can keep watch." They all agreed on this. Sam gently took Magda's hand, and led her back to the rental car. When they were sure they were out of Dean's line of sight, Magda pulled Sam's face over to hers, and gave him a long kiss. She then whispered in his ear, "Thank you, Sam." Magda internally cursed the console between the seats in this rental car. Had they been in the Impala, with its bench seat, Magda would have leaned against Sam, and he would have wrapped his strong arms around her, and she would have blissfully drifted off to sleep. That was not an option with a fixed console between them. Magda briefly wondered if Dean would switch cars, then shook her head. That was silly. She knew Dean loved his Impala nearly as much as she loved Sam. With that in her mind, Magda drifted off to sleep.
When she awoke with the sun, Magda looked around. She was in the rental car, alone. The vampire sister's Subaru was gone, which meant they were gone. Magda then looked out of the rental car's windshield, and through the Impala's windows, she saw Sam and Dean carrying a limp figure out of the cabin. They dumped him on the ground. Dean handed Sam a razor-sharp machete. She saw Sam raise up the machete, and swing it down hard. She thought that Ketch's head must have rolled, because Dean had to walk a few paces away with a trash bag. He bent down, put something in it, then wrapped it and sealed it tightly with duct tape. Meanwhile, Sam was kneeling down, and sawing vigorously. Magda could see his muscular shoulders heaving back and forth under his shirt as he sawed away. Occasionally, Dean would put something in another trash bag, and seal it shut. Finally, Dean unrolled three or four trash bags to contain the torso.
Through all this, Magda had been unable to actually see Ketch's body taken apart, but could tell what was happening from Sam and Dean's actions. She was struck by their almost nonchalant matter-of-factedness about their grisly chore… although Dean did hold up the heavily wrapped head and apparently challenged Sam to an impromptu soccer match. Sam waved his hand dismissively, and chastised Dean, motioning toward Magda. She smiled, because she knew Sam was telling Dean not to 'freak her out.' Magda opened the door of the Ford Edge, and Sam heard the door open. He called out, "Hey, good morning sweetie; um, why don't you stay where you are, okay?" Dean looked up, and added, "Yeah, you really don't want to see this. You'll have nightmares." So, to please them, Magda stayed in the rental car until finally, Sam waved at her to come over.
The sight that greeted Magda was horrific enough: spots of blood in the dirt, and a stack of vaguely human-like shapes neatly wrapped in trash bags. She found herself glad that she had not witnessed the body being dismembered. Sam and Dean had already prepared a large hole in the dirt, with logs of wood in the bottom. They tossed in some small branches for kindling, then sprayed a bottle of lighter fluid into the hole. Sam then tossed in a pack of burning matches. The fire roared out of the hole, then settled to a steady crackle. Dean casually kicked in one body part at a time, allowing the fire to consume it, before tossing in the next. As he did so, Sam commented to Magda, "Those sisters really did a number on Ketch. He was all the way gone when they came out." Magda quietly said, "Good. I hope he felt every second of it, and thought of me while it was happening."
Finally, all that was left was the head. Magda watched with satisfaction as Dean tossed the head into the fire pit. Dean then dumped a large amount of salt into the fire. The three of them sat there, watching the flames do their work and consume the remains of Ketch. Magda leaned against Sam, and he put his arm around her. She had read enough of the Supernatural stories to understand the need to salt and burn the bones. This guaranteed that there would not be any ghost of Ketch haunting them. Sam quietly said to Magda, "I hope you understand why all this was necessary, Magda. It was not only to keep you safe, but to stop him from murdering other people with unusual powers." Magda nodded, and smiled up at Sam. "I understand, Sam. It was a bit horrifying to watch, even though I couldn't see the body when you and Dean were taking him apart, but I get it. He wouldn't have stopped until he killed me." Dean chimed in with, "That's right, and me and Sam, we won't let that happen. Not on our watch." Once Sam and Dean were satisfied, they both shoveled dirt into the pit until it was full. They then dumped a little more salt into the dirt above Ketch's grave. They then went into the cabin, washed off their tools, and each took turns taking an impromptu "shower" out of the sink. At least there was warm water here, and plenty of soap. They then stood watch outside the cabin, and Magda washed herself as well as she could.
Then, Dean cleaned out the rental Edge, and turned it in to the rental company. There was a scuff and a small dent where it had hit Ketch's motorcycle, which Dean told the rental agent was due to a run-in with a pole in a parking lot. Nevertheless, he had paid for their top-tier coverage, which allowed him to "hand them the keys and walk away," which he proceeded to do. They then finally proceeded on the final stretch to Magda's Aunt Penny and her horse ranch. Sam could tell that Magda was getting more excited, the closer they got. She folded her arms on the seat back between Sam and Dean, and rested her chin there, which allowed her a better view out the front windshield, and chatted away.
"I haven't seen my Aunt Penny in… gosh, about six years now. That was the last time she flew out to our house, before we… umm, went off the grid." Sam asked, "Do you get along with her?" Magda eagerly replied, "Oh, yes, very much so! She loved me, and my brother, and she tried to get along with my dad. It was my mom, her sister… they had a huge blowout argument. My mom was just starting to lose touch with reality then, and my Aunt Penny could tell, but she refused any suggestions or offers of help. So, Aunt Penny left for home early, and I haven't seen her since." Dean remarked, "That's too bad. Seriously. Nothing's more important than family."
Magda guided Dean down a dusty country road, then right up a long driveway. Magda was very excited now. "Here we are! This is it!" Dean looked out the windshield at the large white house, and the even larger red barn. Beyond that, he could see dozens of horses in the fields, quietly grazing. "Damn! Nice place, huh, Sam?" Sam laughed with amazement, and said, "Yeah, I'll say! Look at this place!" Magda had already left the Impala, and was trotting up to the front door. Since she was out of earshot, Dean quietly said, "Hey, you two like each other; maybe you could hook up with her, and live here, huh?" Sam replied with, "Dean, c'mon…" Then he saw his brother was teasing him again.
The front door of the house opened, and a woman came outside, with a smile on her face and her arms outstretched. "Magda, sweetie!" Magda hugged her Aunt Penny, and both women had smiles on their faces. Both Sam and Dean felt a surge of satisfaction at this sight. If not for their actions, Magda would have been assassinated, lying still and cold in a grave somewhere, and Aunt Penny would now be mourning yet another member of her family. Sam and Dean got out of the Impala, dressed up in their best "Fed suits," which they used when impersonating FBI, or any number of other branches of law enforcement. They slowly approached, allowing the two women time to hug each other.
Magda said, "It's so good to see you, Aunt Penny!" For her part, Aunt Penny couldn't believe how much Magda had grown in the last 6 years. She was nearly in tears, saying, "My goodness, look at you! You're a real lady now, aren't you?" She then glanced at Sam and Dean. Magda introduced them, and Sam and Dean had coached her on what to say. "Aunt Penny, these are Sam, and Dean. They're FBI, and they saved my life; three times now in just the past week." Sam and Dean flashed their FBI badges, then offered their hands. Aunt Penny shook each of their hands, while looking intently at them. She then declared, "You're not FBI." Sam and Dean were shocked, and Dean stammered, "Um… excuse me?" He then held up his badge a little higher. Aunt Penny smiled, and said, "Those are very nice, and they look almost real. And, don't get me wrong, I'm not angry, and I'm not trying to expose you. But… real FBI agents don't drive a 1967 Chevy Impala, or have four day's worth of stubble on their faces." Aunt Penny looked at Magda, and said, "Why don't we all go inside, and have some lemonade… and, I just baked some apple pie." Dean perked right up. "Pie?"
Once in the house, and settled around the dining table with slices of pie and glasses of lemonade, Aunt Penny said to Sam and Dean, "You're hunters, aren't you?" Magda had a look on her face that was a mixture of shock, and 'don't look at me!' Sam decided just to confess. He had a good instinct about this Aunt Penny. "Guilty, as charged." Aunt Penny smiled, and explained. "My late husband, he dabbled in that sort of thing for a while. See, we used to have cattle on this ranch instead of horses, and those darned werewolves kept attacking them, killing them, and feasting on their organs. My husband ran into a friend of a friend who knew someone." Dean grinned. This was usually how people arranged meetings with hunters. Aunt Penny continued, "We learned enough from a few hunters to keep our animals safe. We let the true hunters chase after big game, like demons."
Sam and Dean gave Aunt Penny a very condensed version of their hunting history, then Sam asked Magda if she wanted to explain how they met. Magda nodded her head. "Sam was on a case, and was investigating our house. He found out some terrible things that my mom was doing, such as keeping me trapped in the basement and making me whip myself, because my mom thought I was possessed by the devil." Magda's voice became more brittle as the memories came flooding back to her. Aunt Penny put her arms around her niece, and said, "Oh, my dear… that's awful." Magda continued. "Sam got me out of there, and the authorities put me on a bus that was supposed to take me to California."
Sam took over from here. "Yes, then we managed to stop an assassin from killing her at a rest stop, and once again in the California countryside. We've been watching over her for nearly a week now." They decided not to burden Aunt Penny with descriptions of Sam's apparently psychic visions.
After this short discussion, Magda said she wanted to explore the ranch. She glanced over at Sam, and he said, "Yeah, me too. I've never been on a ranch this nice." Magda and Sam went out the back door, and started walking around the ranch together. This left Aunt Penny alone with Dean, who had long since finished his slice of pie, and was looking longingly at the remainder of the apple pie in the center of the table. Aunt Penny chuckled and said, "Go ahead, Dean. There's more in the fridge." Dean breathed, "THANK you," and lunged for the pie the way a predator attacks their prey. Dean spoke around the mouthful of pie, "Sorry if I seem like a pig, but this pie is awesome. You should sell it to restaurants." Aunt Penny replied, "I do. And besides, you saved my niece Magda. Take all the pie you want."
As Dean was feasting on his second slice of pie, Aunt Penny asked him, "So, really, how much danger is my little Magda in?" Dean slowed his chewing, looking thoughtful, then replied, "A lot. She's been targeted by a fringe group, the British Men of Letters. We took care of one of their assassins, but there will be more. And, not to alarm you, but we think they know where this ranch is." Dean had deduced this, because Ketch had been lying in wait for them, which would only have been possible if he knew their destination. Aunt Penny considered this, then said, "So, she can't stay here then, can she?" Dean shook his head. "I wouldn't recommend it. Those British will send others after her. Sammy and me; we can protect her. At least until we've gotten rid of those British Men of Letters."
Aunt Penny seemed to stare off into the distance, then she smiled. "Sam and Magda; they have a thing for each other, don't they?" Dean raised his eyebrows. "Yeah, how did you know?" Aunt Penny pointed behind Dean, and when he turned, he saw a monitor that showed an interior image of the barn. Aunt Penny explained, "We had a problem with teens trying to break in and mess with the horses, so we installed security cameras." Dean squinted at the screen. Sam and Magda were in the barn, locked in another hug, and then Sam bent down and gave her a kiss, which Magda gladly returned. Dean smiled and said to himself, "Sammy, you—" Dean suddenly stopped, remembering he was in Aunt Penny's kitchen. "Um, sorry, Mrs. Peterson." Aunt Penny scoffed, and said, "What's to be sorry for? Magda's an adult now, and Sam seems to be a very decent man." Dean assured her, "Oh, he is. I promise you that." Dean explained that while he himself was the type to go to a bar and search for one night stands, Sam would stay at the motel room and do research, preparing for their next hunt. Dean and Aunt Penny watched the monitor. Once Sam and Magda's kiss ended, Sam kept his arm around her, as they strolled through the barn, looking at the horses in their stalls.
Dean looked at Aunt Penny, and asked her, "So, the age gap doesn't bother you?" Aunt Penny shook her head with a smile. "Not at all. I'm in my 60s, and when you get up to my age, those age gaps mean less and less. As long as they love each other, that's good enough." Dean nodded in agreement. Aunt Penny then added, "Besides, if your brother Sam really loves her, that will give him extra motivation to keep my little niece Magda safe." Dean raised his eyebrows, nodded, and said, "Yeah, good point."
After this, Dean and Aunt Penny went outside and joined Sam and Magda on the tour of the ranch. She explained that since her husband passed away, she had been handling all the ranch chores alone. Dean looked shocked. "Damn. That's a lot of work for one person." Magda was very concerned. "Aunt Penny, that's too much work for one person alone!" Aunt Penny assured her it was okay. "Oh, I get by, dear. I'm used to it." Although she didn't protest any further, Sam could tell that Magda was far from convinced.
That evening, they were all gathered around in the living room. Sam and Dean felt a bit awkward, especially when Aunt Penny insisted that they spend the night there on the ranch. "There's no motels around here for miles, and I have three perfectly good bedrooms upstairs. I'd be offended if you didn't spend the night." Dean smiled, and said, "Yes Ma'am." He had grown rather fond of this strong-willed lady, who was obviously very sensible, intelligent, and a very hard worker. All things that Dean respected. Dean took their dishes into the kitchen and was washing them for Aunt Penny, when Sam wandered in to get some more water. He then noticed the security monitor which showed the interior of the barn. In his mind, he rapidly put two and two together. Slightly panicked and feeling great embarrassment, he quietly said to Dean, "Dude! That security monitor… did you two see us… me and Magda…" Dean grinned, and said, "Yup! Aunt Penny saw it all."
Dean saw that Sam looked horrified, so he chuckled, and said, "Sammy, relax. Aunt Penny was totally okay with it." Sam looked at his brother. "Really, Dean? Seriously?" Dean assured him, "Yes, Sam. Seriously. She said… um, Magda's an adult, and what else… oh, she said she feels better about you having the hots for Magda, because it'll motivate you to really watch over her." Dean crossed his heart. "I swear, Sammy, that's exactly what she said. So, you can relax."
The night passed uneventfully. Magda had her own bedroom, and Sam and Dean shared a room. When Dean woke up early in the morning, he had an idea. He mentioned it to Sam, who agreed. The two of them got dressed, and quietly stepped out of their room, meeting Magda in the hall. She had just gotten up to use the bathroom. Sam quietly said to her, "We're going out to the barn to do your aunt's chores for the day. Want to come help?" Magda thought this was a wonderful idea, and gladly volunteered.
The three of them went out to the barn, and started to clean out the stalls. Magda knew enough from her time on her parent's farm to guide Sam and Dean. This would allow her aunt to have an easy day for once. They cleaned all the horse's stalls, changed their water, fed them, and let them out to pasture. They were just done with this when Aunt Penny came out, wrapped in a bathrobe, saying, "What in the world?" Magda explained that Sam and Dean wanted to repay her for her kindness, and did her chores for the day. Aunt Penny was very grateful for this.
Sam, Dean and Magda returned to the house and had showers and breakfast. Then, the moment of truth. It was time to go. Sam apologetically said, "I'm sorry, but as long as she's here, you're in danger from the British Men of Letters." Dean chimed in with, "Yeah, we just wanted you to see for yourself that she's ok, in good health, and that we'll do everything in our power to keep her that way." Aunt Penny assured them that she was very relieved to see how well Magda was doing. "I can tell, you two have seen a thing or two, and I'm sure you'll be able to protect her." As for Magda, she found herself unexpectedly very upset at having to leave her Aunt Penny. She hugged her aunt, and held on. Aunt Penny comforted her niece. "Sweetheart, when Sam and Dean get rid of these… Men of Letters, whoever they are, you're always welcome to come back." Magda sincerely thanked her aunt.
They were loading the last of their clothes into the Impala, when Aunt Penny came up to Dean. "I have one last little surprise for you." From behind her back, she produced a freshly cooked apple pie, wrapped and ready. Dean was thrilled. Sam was amused, and said, "That pie won't make it out of California, I promise you."
Finally, the Impala started up, and backed out of the driveway as the three of them waved to Aunt Penny. She stood there and watched the car rumble away, then, with a happy sigh, turned and went back inside the house.
The trip back was uneventful. At one point, Sam and Dean were quietly discussing how they planned to deal with the British Men of Letters, when suddenly, Magda leaned forward from the back seat, and lightly smacked Sam on the arm. She held up her phone, and Sam saw the title, "On the Head of a Pin." Magda said, "Really, Sam? Demon blood?!" This amused Dean, who added, "Yeah, Sam, what the hell?" Sam stammered, "Uh, Magda, that was a long time ago, and… wait, I thought those books stopped when Dean went to Hell?" Magda explained, "Carver Edlund's unpublished volumes." Sam sighed with irritation. "Great. Well, keep reading. That demon blood situation ended a long time ago." Magda put her earbuds back in and went back to reading the story.
Sam glanced at Dean, who had a smirk on his face. Sam, however, was confused. "You know, Dean; Chuck once told me that he left the demon blood stuff out of the books." Dean shrugged. "Maybe he modified the online version. I don't know, man; it's Chuck. He can pretty much alter reality anytime he wants." After a moment, Dean said, "Oh, hey, speaking of demon crap, there's something we gotta do." Dean waved his right hand to get Magda's attention. She took out her earbuds again. "Yes, Dean?" "Say, Magda, how do you feel about tats?" Magda curled her upper lip in disgust. "Tattoos? Umm… not really a fan… why do you ask?" Dean tapped his chest just above his heart, and nodded at Sam. After a few seconds of confusion, Sam understood, and agreed. Sam explained to Magda, "We have to get you inked up. Against demonic possession." Magda then remembered reading about the tattoos in the Carver Edlund stories. She sighed, and pleaded with Sam: "Do I really have to?" Dean looked like he wanted to fire off a retort, but Sam held up his hand, so Dean held his tongue. Sam gently explained, "A little bit of pain under a needle is nothing compared to being possessed by a demon. I've been possessed, and it's awful. It's worse than death. You have no control over your own body. You've read about what demons do, and how they treat their meat suits." Magda knew Sam was telling the truth, so she reluctantly agreed.
The Impala sat outside a tattoo parlor in Arizona. Sam had suggested waiting until they got back to Kansas, but Dean said, "Why wait?" So, the three of them entered the tattoo parlor. Magda presented her ID, which the heavily tattooed and pierced lady at the register carefully studied. She then asked Magda, "Are you sure you want to have this done?" Magda gave the least convincing 'Yes, I'm sure' in the history of mankind. Sam and Dean, however, were standing behind Magda, and they both nodded enthusiastically. Dean even helpfully supplied a thumbs-up. The lady shrugged, collected payment, and said, "Okay, chair one, ready when you are." Magda lay in the chair, and turned her head away from the needle. Naturally, Sam sat right next to her and held her hand. Magda flinched when the needle started to do its work. Sam caressed her hand as a tear made its way out of her eye. Sam encouraged her with comments like, 'You're doing great,' and 'Just a little more.'
When it was done, the tattoo artist gently put a bandage over the area, and instructed Magda how to care for it. The three of them stepped out of the parlor, and walked back to the Impala. Sam gave Magda a side-hug, being careful to avoid the tattooed area. "I'm proud of you, Magda. And, I'll definitely rest a lot easier knowing no demon can take over your body." Magda asked, "How long will it hurt?" Dean couldn't resist saying, "Probably a few days. Now, if you got possessed by a demon, and had to watch it kill someone wearing your body; that would hurt for the rest of your life. Assuming it didn't kill you just for kicks." Sam reluctantly agreed. "Sorry, but he's right, Magda. We want to keep you as safe as possible, and that includes against demons. This is by far the least painful option."
Less than two days later, the Impala finally arrived back at the Men of Letters bunker. Dean proudly pulled the Impala into the garage. Magda was in awe of all the classic cars and motorcycles parked in the garage. She remained just as impressed as Sam and Dean led her through the bunker, giving her a short tour. They went through the storage rooms, the living areas, the shooting range, the kitchen, the war room, and finally, the library. Magda was thrilled with the library in particular. "Wow… look at all these books!" Dean raised his eyebrows. "You… like to read?" Magda looked at him with excitement. "I LOVE to read!" Dean clapped his hand on Sam's shoulder. "Got you a new research partner, Sam!" Sam smirked at Dean. "Well, she is much cuter than you are."
Sam turned his attention back to Magda, who was still fascinated with all the books in the library. She turned to Sam, and the look on her face was one of excitement. "I can't wait to help you guys out on a case! You need me to look through volumes of lore for a clue? I'm your girl!" Sam smiled. "We probably will take you up on that, but first, how about we get you settled in?" Magda scampered to Sam's side, and took his hand, as he went back to the Impala to unload their clothes. They had stopped at a department store before returning to the bunker, and bought Magda several changes of clothes, shoes, and underwear. Sam said, "Ok, pick a room, and it's yours." Magda asked which room was Sam's, and chose the one right next to it.
After that, the three of them had a take-out dinner, eating it in the kitchen. As soon as they were done eating, Dean announced he was going to bed. He was tired from driving nearly 15 hours that day. This left Sam and Magda alone together. Sam asked her how she liked the bunker. "I know it's not as picturesque as your aunt's ranch, but how do you like the bunker?" Magda enthusiastically declared that she loved it. "I can just see myself, when you and Dean go out on a hunt, I'm in the library, looking up lore for you guys, and sending the info to your phones." Sam smiled at her. "We'll appreciate your help, believe me. And don't worry about your safety. This bunker is one of the safest places on Earth."
Sam then had an idea. "This will make you even more safe, Magda. Have you ever fired a gun?" Magda nodded. "A few times, my dad took me out on the farm and let me fire the rifle." Sam grinned. "Come with me." They walked to the bunker's shooting range together, and Sam held up a small pistol. "This is a nice little pistol we've had lying around for a while. It's yours now. And, it's just a .38 caliber, so it won't kick like a mule, or deafen you. I promise." Sam slid a clip into the pistol, aimed at a target, and squeezed off ten rapid shots. They all hit the target, center mass. Sam dropped the empty clip out, and said, "See? Just that easy. Now, you try."
Magda picked up the pistol, and Sam stood right behind her, watching over her. Magda was a bit unsteady, and fired two shots. One hit the edge of the target, and the other one missed entirely. Sam leaned forward a bit, and stretched out his arms, correcting Magda's grip. This also meant that he was practically on top of her. Lots of body contact. Magda smiled to herself. She knew it would work, if she pretended to be clueless at shooting. She then rapidly fired the remaining eight rounds, hitting the target in the same center mass that Sam did. She set the gun down, turned around, and caught Sam before he could back away. She seized him in a hug, and planted a kiss on him. Although surprised, Sam wasn't about to turn down a kiss from Magda. She then lay her head against Sam, and enjoyed cuddling him. Sam asked, with a laugh; "You already knew how to shoot, didn't you? That was just an act?" Magda smiled. "It got your arms around me, didn't it?" Sam pulled her in a little closer, and gently massaged her back. "Yes it did."
Suddenly, from the doorway, Dean appeared. Magda gasped and pulled away from Sam. Dean was saying, "Hey, guys, if you're gonna shoot, could you shut the door? The sound echoes down the hall, and I'm trying to sleep here…" Dean then noticed that Magda had pulled away from Sam, and seemed alarmed. Dean asked her, "What's wrong?" Magda seemed very embarrassed, and just shook her head. Dean shrugged. He was too tired to analyze it right now. As he left, he looked at Sam, and said, again; "Just keep the noise down, will ya?" Sam waved his hand, and said, "Yeah. Sure thing, Dean." Dean pulled the door shut as he left.
When the door shut, Magda immediately returned to Sam's hug. Sam was a bit confused. "Magda, why'd you pull away? Dean's seen us hugging before." Magda shrugged. "I don't know, Sam… I guess…" Her voice trailed off. Sam asked, "Are you embarrassed to be seen with an old guy like me?" Magda laughed, and pretend-smacked him in the arm. "No! And you're not old, you're… you're Sam." She closed her eyes and allowed Sam to massage her back, which she absolutely loved. "I guess… it's my upbringing. There were never any displays of affection at my house. Even with my parents." Sam gently replied, "Well, you're going to have displays of affection here, from me, because… you're Magda." She laughed, and said, "Touché."
In the next chapter, Magda and Sam's love for each other will be tested like never before. Even Dean will shed tears over what happens. Magda will also face a deadly threat intent on killing her, and the two Winchester brothers.