Destiny • Supernatural

• Chapter Six •

The sun was hot as it scorched down on the three hunters, and there wasn't a cloud in sight. The near side of the street had a sporting goods store advertising ammo, rods, and reels as well as a thirty percent sale for Pioneers Day while the far side was residential. Apart from the brothers and the Nephilim huntress, there seemed to be no other signs of life in the desolate town as they continued their search through it.

Next to the sporting goods store, Big Louie's,  there was a blue two-door sedan that was overturned in the street. With his gun at a ready, Sam approached the vehicle cautiously and peered inside, finding it empty of any sign of human life. He turned to Dean and Camryn and silently shook his head before they moved on.

A sprinkler ran in front of one of the houses: whatever happened to clear the area had happened fast enough that no one had turned it off. There was another car in the street, but this one was tan and right way up. The driver's door was open, and the engine was left running while 'Spirit in the Sky' played over the radio.

The trio approached the vehicle with their weapons ready, but just like the first vehicle, this one was also empty.

The taller hunter turned off the engine and sighed softly as a heavy silence fell over them.

There was a banner that hung over the street, welcoming residents and visitors to the seventy-fifth anniversary of River Pass, Colorado's Pioneer Days, with pictures of the Grand Marshall and Rodeo Queen.

The hunters and huntress came to a halt near a gleaming red classic Mustang, with Sam immediately losing interest in it once he had found it to be empty while Dean admired it with a low whistle.

But their attention was soon caught when something had sparked near the gas station, only for their gazes to land on a silver four-door minivan. The driver's door was opened, and there was a baby stroller next to it along with a great deal of blood in front of and leading away from the door.

The trio approached the vehicle and surveyed the area once more. There was a hole in the silver four-door's windshield, but other than that and the blood, no other clue as to what happened.

As they had moved on, a gun had cocked behind them, forcing Dean to whip around and level his shotgun at whoever was aiming theirs at them.

"Ellen?" Sam asked as his brother lowered his gun.

"Hello, boys." The woman, known as Ellen, greeted. She was a 5'5" middle-aged woman with brown eyes and light brown hair.

Dean glanced at his brother and girlfriend as the woman lowered her own weapon and approached them. "Ellen, what the heck's going on here?"

The woman didn't respond and simply threw water into his face and raised her gun once more.

The eldest hunter closed his eyes for a moment, which let Ellen witness that it was neither boiling nor burning him.

"We're us." Dean stated as he opened his eyes and wiped his face from the Holy Water.

Still refusing to say a word, Ellen walked between the trio and led them towards a church. She walked through a corridor and down a hallway where there was a devil's trap that had been drawn inside of the doorway as well as a line of salt across the threshold.

Exchanging quick glances with each other, the trio made their way across the trap and salt line with no problems.

"Real good to see you boys." Ellen finally said before her brown gaze landed on Camryn, who she had never met before, and held her hand out. "Hi, I'm Ellen."

"Hi." Camryn greeted and shook the woman's hand with a soft smile. "Camryn Hale."

"My girlfriend." Dean added, his verdant gaze focused on the Nephilim huntress as a love-sick smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

The older woman smiled fondly and pulled the eldest Winchester in for a hug, but when she pulled away, she slapped him hard across the face, which caused Camryn to cover her mouth while Sam flinched.

"The can of whoopass I ought to open on you." She muttered.

"Ow!" Dean exclaimed as he touched his cheek, running his hand over the stinging, inflamed area in attempt to soothe it.

"You can't pick up a phone? What are you, allergic to giving me peace of mind?" The woman exclaimed. "I got to find out that you're alive from Rufus?"

"Sorry, Ellen." The sandy haired male responded with a soft sigh - like a child being scolded by his mother.

"Yeah, you better be." Ellen replied, her voice softening. "You better put me on speed dial, kid."

"Yes, ma'am." Dean nodded.

After a long pause, the woman led the trio further inside, with Sam taking up the rear. As he trailed after his brother and the Nephilim huntress, he felt his body being dragged to an empty room; the door closing behind them.

Peering down, he found a girl of about 5'6" standing in front of him, but her face was concealed by a scarf that covered the majority of her face and head. Before he could question her, the girl removed the scarf from her face and head to reveal Madelyn.

"Sam.." She whispered almost breathlessly.

Sam's eyes widened, and tears soon flooded his hazel gaze. "Maddie?.." He asked, making sure that it was really her.

The blonde nodded softly, tears flooding her own blue gaze as he cupped her face gently between his hands.

"I thought I lost you.." He whispered.

The youngest Hale sibling gripped hold of his shirt tightly. "For a minute, I thought I was a goner.." She replied. "Turns out it was my father, and he didn't want to kill his only daughter."

"I thought Cas was your father.." The hunter responded, still shocked that she was the daughter of Michael.

"I thought so, too." The Nephilim huntress said with a small smile.

He stroked her cheek lightly with his thumb while he dropped his other arm to snake it around her waist and draw her closer to him. "How do you feel about that?" He asked.

She placed her head against his chest and released a soft sigh. "Confused.." She answered honestly, breathing in his scent.

Silence fell over the pair as they just enjoyed being in each other's embrace, but the silence was soon broken by the shaggy haired male.

"I'm sorry.." He whispered. "I am so sorry for everything."

"Sam.." Madelyn scolded gently as she pulled away to peer up at him. "You're already beating yourself up for it. I forgive you.. I don't want to give you more grief than you're already giving yourself. Just try and forgive yourself.."

"I can't.." Sam responded, his voice cracking slightly with emotion. "I chose Ruby over my brother.. Over you.. I'm the reason that Lucifer is free."

"Sammy, I forgive you.." She repeated with a firm but gentle tone as she ran her fingers through his dark brown, shaggy hair. "I should go.."

He instantly shook his head. "No.. Why? Stay.." He pleaded.

"Sammy, I can't stay.." She responded, her blue eyes pleading with his hazel. "Trust me.."

As much as Sam wanted Madelyn to stay with him, he knew that he could trust her to return to them, to him - and with that, he reluctantly nodded his head despite every bone in his body screaming at him to get her to stay.

Madelyn gave him a small smile and slipped her hands into his much larger ones, giving them a gentle squeeze before she took a step away from him and disappeared with a flutter - leaving Sam all alone in the room.