𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙳𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝙷𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛[𝙳.𝚆]

084

"That was more difficult than it should've been." I chuckle, putting the dead man blood back in the bag after inspecting it.

"Yeah, who knew you'd need so much security for a bunch of dead guys." Dean says.

"Right?!" I laugh and he follows in suit. He shakes his head after a moment, chuckling now.

"Man, do I miss you on the road with us. We've been on some strange hunts. Thought of what smart remarks you'd say all the time." Dean lets slip past his lips. I smile at him. I wanted him to keep talking to me.

"What kinda hunts?" I ask.

"Well, we went after this tulpa—you know what a tulpa is, right?" He glances over at me. I shake my head, turning in my seat and resting my elbow next to the headrest, placing my fist against my cheek. "Oh, well, it's like this thought form, or something like that Sam said. But anyway—" I knew what a tulpa was. It was a small white lie that he didn't have to know about.

I smile fondly at him as he starts going on and on about these two dorks that wanted to play ghostbusters—Dean's words, not mine—and how they had this website that helped create the tulpa.

He even mentioned that he worked this other job with a haunted painting. Not a new one for me, but still pretty strange—and dark. He told me that Sam met someone there, a nice and pretty girl. Said Sam really liked her. I felt bad that he didn't get to stay with her. Sam has been so closed off after Jessica. I mean, it's been nearly a year and the only other female he allows around him is me, or used to anyway.

"Did you know about it?"

"Huh? Sorry, what?" I shake my head, pulling myself out of my daze.

"The striga, did dad tell you about it?" He asks. I think back, trying to remember.

"Yeah. Yeah, I think so. He mentioned something about sending you coordinates for a job. I said that was an asshole move and that he should just call you guys but he blew up in my face." I shrug. Dean looks over at me with an apologetic smile.

"You're always in our corner. Why? I mean, after we dropped you, I'd expect you to hate us."

"Never." I shake my head. "How could I be mad when all you guys did was have a normal reaction to finding out what I've done? And anyways, despite what you guys might think, I have a heart, and I care for you both. Deeply. I know the effect and toll John puts on you, and I can't just watch him act so formal with you guys—distant. That's not what fathers are for." He glances at me.

"He can be difficult to deal with sometimes, huh?"

"Understatement." I chuckle.

"Why'd you stick around then? I mean, why didn't you just get on the first bus ride back to Stanford?" He asks, looking back at the road.

"There's nothing for me in Stanford, first of all. I really only stayed for Sam. Second, I really didn't know where to go with my life. If I should stay a hunter or not. And third..." I pause, looking away from him. "I needed to find out for myself. You know, about the demon?" I feel his gaze fall on me again.

"Right."

"Yeah."

"Does my dad know?" He asks after a moment of tense silence.

"As far as I know, he doesn't know anything. And I'd like to keep it that way because if he did—"

"He'd put a bullet in your chest plate?" Dean finishes for me. I look at him.