The Ruins of Men

Chapter 3: A Long Journey.

The car ride to Bobby's was...strange, to say the least. Livia sat in the back middle seat so she could see both of the brothers, gun and knife in her lap, ready for any use. Cas had gone ahead to speak with Bobby about what was happening while Sam and Dean drove there. It would take a day, which nobody was happy about. 89 days sounded long enough, but when you were facing the devil, no amount of time was 'long enough'.

Dean and Sam spoke a few words, especially discussing things that had happened with Livia, informing her of everything she needed to know, but other than that there was silence and rock music, which Sam complained about repeatedly. Dean waved him off, and if the scenario was any different, Livia might've found it funny.

Her entire body pleaded with her to lay down and rest, but her insticts told her there was no way she could do that until she was in a safe, double-locked room. It didn't matter if she had to sleep on the floor; as long as she felt as safe as possible, and in the back of an Impala with two random hunters definitely wasn't the place.

She realized she'd asked everything about what had happened to them and nothing much about where they were going. She shook her head at herself internally and cleared her throat.

"Umm...What's Bobby like?" Livia asked, making sure she stayed upright. If she slouched against the seat she wouldn't be able to resist sleep. Sam's shirt was big on her and comfortable, and her jeans kept her warm.

Dean opened his mouth to speak, but Sam spoke first. "Kind of like an older, smarter version of Dean," Sam said.

Dean was about to protest, but he shrugged. "Actually, he's not wrong."

Livia smiled a little, but then the reality of where she was dawned on her and her smile vanished. She made a mental note in her mind of what Sam had said, building a character in her mind of what Bobby might be like. An older, sarcastic, knowledgable man. Graying beard. In a wheelchair. He seemed harmless, but with the knowledge she'd gained within the past few days since Lucifer had captured her...Nothing seemed 100% harmless anymore.

"He lives in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where we're going. He'll have a room for you to stay in with multiple locks, like you requested," Sam added, looking back at her. She nodded. Her hair had frizzed in the summer heat, and she still felt dirty despite how hard she'd scrubbed the blood off of her earlier.

Dean snorted. "You sound like room service."

Sam rolled his eyes and sat back in his seat, reaching to turn down the already-quiet radio. Dean smacked his hand away and returned to the road, shaking his head. AC/DC continued to play as they drove.

For a couple of hours, the small talk and long silences returned. That was, until Castiel appeared in the back seat, next to Livia.

She shrieked and flinched away from him, aiming the knife at him automatically.

"Woah, woah!" Dean yelled. Sam put his hands out, as if to try and protect Cas. It took Livia a second to recognize him; when she did, she lowered the knife a bit. Not fully, but a bit. She didn't like that she couldn't keep a close eye just on the Winchesters anymore. Watching 3 people at once wasn't the easiest.

"Cas, you gotta give more of a warning," Dean demanded, sighing loudly. 

"Sorry." Cas clasped his hands in his lap. "I informed Bobby of everything that's going on. Let's just say he wasn't the happiest, but he's preparing for us. How long until you arrive?"

"Around 6-7 hours, I think." Sam switched on a flashlight and checked the map before nodding. "Yeah, around that."

Cas nodded. "Sadly, I cannot teleport this entire car, especially with the three of you in it. I don't believe I would survive that." He turned to find Livia staring directly at him, the knife gripped tightly in her hand. She'd gotten used to the Winchesters' prescenses in the past 17 hours, but she hadn't seen Cas since they'd left the hotel.