Chapter 27

The air was cool as Sam and Dean worked on the pyre they had constructed for the last few hours. Christina had helped by gathering the matches and gasoline. None of the three siblings spoke as they quietly worked.

As soon as the pyre was ready Dean and Sam worked together to place John on top of the pyre and prepared the actual send off. Dean had grabbed three matches and handed one to each of them. At the same time, the three lit their matches and tossed them onto the gas soaked logs allowing them to erupt. Heat, smoke and the crackling of wood filled the small opening in the field as all three children watched the hunter's send off of their father.

They continued to stay quiet and not even look at each other as they continued to watch their father burn. Until Sam broke the silence.

"Did dad tell you guys anything before he left?" Sam's voice fought to stay level as tears slid down his cheeks.

"No." Dean said without much hesitation.

"Just that he was sorry." Christina said softly her eyes staring at the flames.

Sam nodded accepting the replies and went back to observing the send up for the next two hours. As soon as there was nothing left except for a pile of ash and small burning coals, Dean walked up and spent the next few minutes burying and making sure the coals were properly put out. Then without any other words to each other all three quietly walked over to a truck they found at Bobby's and quietly drove back to the yard.

~DSCWIN~

One Week Later

It was a rough week for the siblings after they gave their father the send off and life for the Winchesters slowly went normal. But Sam noticed both of his siblings were drawn off as they forced themselves to work on their own projects in Bobby's yard, with Dean working hard on his Impala while Christina worked on the skeletal frame of a motorcycle just a few feet away from each other. They would occasionally stopped with projects to help one another, but there was no talk except for a small radio playing in between them.

Sam walked out, carrying a plate of sandwiches, a bag of chips and two bottles of beer for his siblings. "Got you guys some lunch if you want them."

"Thanks." They both said stopping to grab the beer while Sam set the food down on a small table next to all the tools.

"Need any help?" Sam asked his brother watching his older brother down the beer and went right back to work.

"You want to help me?" Dean asked looking amused. "Since when do you ever want to help me with my car?"

"Since now." Sam admitted. "I mean since Dad died you kind of been distant. Always throwing yourself into this car. You're out here first thing in the morning and you don't come back in until late at night. I hardly get to see you and just talk."

"Talk?" Dean asked wiping his hands off of some grease he had used to put in a part. "Sure let's talk. Maybe I'll even let you slow dance with me and I'll lay my head on your shoulder. Besides you locked yourself in researching where that yellow eyed son of a bitch was with the colt. Have you found anything?"

"Not yet." Sam admitted with a frown. "It's kind of hard to research by yourself on this. Why aren't you helping?" He asked getting into Dean's face. "I mean take a break. The car will be fixed just get away. Hell talk to me!"

"Enough both of you!" Christina stood up knocking over the box she was using for a chair and glared at both of them. "I honestly don't understand why you need to get at each other's throats. If you need help researching let me help you, Sam. I need to take a break anyways. All this yelling has given me a headache." She stormed away and both of brothers could see her fighting back tears of anger as she walked back to the house and disappeared inside.

"You okay there kid?" Bobby asked looking up from his desk as he heard the door open and saw Christina fumbling through the cabinet.

"Why are some men the most stubborn?" she asked taking two aspirins she had shook into her hand and quickly dry swallowed them.

"Boys fightin' again?" Bobby asked seeing her annoyed expression after a nod Bobby sighed heavily. "Comes with the territory for those two." Bobby said. "Not much you can do. I've been playing referee since they first showed up to my house all those years ago. And even back then they fought hard. Don't take it personally."

"I'll try not to." Christina said then sighed. "Man having two older brothers is tough." She chuckled making thr older hunter smile.

"How's the bike coming along?" Bobby asked seeing as he had bought her the fixer upper motorcycle as a high school graduation present when she graduated a year early.

"Slow. It's nice to be able to work on it. Especially since Dean helps when I need the extra pair of hands for certain parts. Also he lets me help with his car when he needs it. I guess it's easy to accept help when you know what you're doing."

"Yeah, he can be a bit strong headed 'bout things like that. I was impressed of your knowledge too."

Christina gave a humble smile and saw Sam walk in. "So what would you like help with?" She asked as she didn't have an idea.

"Honestly...I don't need the help I just was wanting to spend time with Dean as I know he's hurting."

Christina nodded not feeling bad for the fact her brother didn't need the help. "Well in that case I'm going to clean up and maybe work on a maybe finding a case for us."

"Sounds good." Sam said and Christina walked up to her room and went inside.

Her cellphone started to ring as soon as she entered her room. As if trained she rushed to see who was calling but her face turned cold and she declined the call. Grabbing a towel she had hung on the hangers in her room she also grabbed her bathrobe and headed for the bathroom before either one of her brothers stole it. That had happened a few times already since they started to stay put after her father passed.

As Christina prepared her shower ,by unsticking the shower switch by repeatedly pulling it up amd down, she listened to the ring of Bobby's telephone. It took her a few seconds before recognizing the ring as his house line before she drowned it out by turning on the water. She always loved the fact Bobby had an amazing water heater so that she could have a warm shower and not have to fight with her brothers over the hot water.

"Christy, you have a phone call." Sam's muffled voice spoke through the closed door.

"Tell them to leave a message." Christina said raising her voice to be heard over the water and through the door. She grabbed her hair products she kept in the small cubby and got herself ready for her shower. Glancing in the mirror she looked at all the scars she had gotten from the car accident and frowned. Even with the scars she still was attractive and couldn't care less what other men might think but it hurt her as it reminded her that she didn't have a father anymore. That she had been hard on her own father before reconciling just minutes before he passed in her arms. But she did have her brothers and Bobby but she did feel empty not getting to know her father except from others but she knew those to blame was only herself.

She shook her head trying to shake the thoughts of guilt and carefully climbed into the shower and pulled the curtain as she didn't want to splash water on the floor. She took her time getting rid of the grease and oil from her hands but made her shower only fifteen minutes before she was done and wrapping her wet hair into her towel.

"Hey, get out and ready to head out. Sam found something and we need to leave in an hour." Dean sounded like he didn't want to have any arguments.

"Got it." Christina answered back and tying her robe over her body before walking out and watched her older brother's face and saw he was fighting with a secret he wanted to spill but when Sam appeared Dean walked away. Sam and Christina shared a confused look before Christina walked into her room and after she closed her bedroom door got dressed and packed to leave.

~DSCWIN~

"So you guys going to tell me what made you leave so urgently?" Christina asked as Dean forced himself to drive in silence as the van they had to take didn't have a working radio.

"There was a voicemail from a woman named Ellen who owns a bar in Lawrence. She had some information for him." Sam said watching the surroundings of the countryside rise, fall and change as they continued to drive.

"So we don't know what this girl wants but if Dad had saved a voice mail for nearly four months, then it must be serious." Dean added.

"Sounds like dad had a love affair perhaps." Christina innocently said but felt the temperature change.

"Dad would never do that!" Dean growled as he stepped onto the gas causing the vehicle to start to shake so he had to let go the gas go making it stop to shake. "Never think like that."

"Sorry." Christina mumbled and leaned back in her seat. She had forced her eyes closed not wanting to look at Dean's glare.

Dean shook his head while he looked at Sam who gave him a questioning look. "Don't ask." Dean said stairing back at road while he wished he could use his car again. He wished he could make this trip shorter but he had to endure the guilt of yelling at his sister after an innocent question. She hadn't known their father but the thought of John being with another woman seemed too unrealistic. However he knew that screaming at her like that wasn't the right thing to do.

~DSCWIN~

Christina woke up alone in the van and stretched. She was one surprised she fell asleep so quickly and two that her brothers would leave her like that. However she knew they had only recently left her as the engine was still trying to settle after being turned off.

After she stretched she slowly climbed out of the van and closed the door behind her. She looked around and stared at the building she stood by. "I'm back." She said with a small quaking smile. She could hear yelling and crashing coming from inside and she rushed over. She threw open the door and stepped in to see Dean holding his nose, Sam holding his hands up but was lowering them down as two women stood with rifles.

"Sorry we're closed." The older woman said taking a glance at Christina before looking back at her brothers. "Try the bar down the street."

"Hiya Ellen." Christina said shuffling her feet as she found her voice. "Hey Jo." she added looking at the younger woman who had turned and looked over her shoulder. "I see you've met my brothers."

Ellen and Jo slowly turned and looked at Christina allowing Sam and Dean to relax. "Christina?" They both asked getting a closer look at the woman that stood in the doorway. It was only a second after Christina nodded that the two woman wrapped their arms around her pulling her into a threeway hug. Sam and Dean were confused but after their hug Ellen look at Christina and shot a thumb in Sam and Dean's direction.

"Did you say you were their sister?" She asked and Christina nodded. "So you're John's daughter...makes sense."

"Yeah it turns out revenge and stubbornness runs in the family." Christina laughed. "But enough about me, what was it that you wanted Dad to know about?"

Ellen nodded. "I'll have Ash tell you." She turned around and that's when Christina noticed a figure passed out on a pool table in a small alcove atop of a couple of steps. "Ash last call!" Ellen yelled and everyone watched as the man, named Ash stood up and wavered just a few seconds before trotting down the stairs.