Cold sunshine fell around Joan as the undead hunter exited the Ranger Motel, a cheap duffle bag slung over her shoulder. It wasn't her favorite bag but it had to do, considering what she was holding was worth more than all the money in the world and a grocery bag just wasn't going to last another couple hours. The 9 hour commute from the outside of Wells, Nevada all the way to Cheyenne, Wyoming had brought her into the mid-west city at the wee hours of the day, exhausted and drained.
At 6 in the morning there weren't many people out. A few working early shifts and old folk who have nothing better to do than exercise aching limbs wandered the streets while Joan straddled the stolen motorbike. The bright eyed girl pulled her caramel hair into a ponytail, loose strands falling out in the front and back; she suspiciously stared down every pedestrian the crossed in front of her, weary that they may be a demon or angel, waiting to send her soul back to Hell. Even with the warding spells and sigils that Joan had painted on her person, it wouldn't hold off demons and angels forever.
Placing dark pilot shades over her eyes, Joan revved the engine of the Harley and zoomed down the streets. The only thing flooding Joan's agile mind was the idea of her last hope, Pamela Barnes. Joan didn't know Pamela very well but she knew her older sister, Nori, better than she knew herself. Nori educated a young Joan with everything a hunter should know, turning the hopeless, abused, delinquent of a girl, into the best damn hunter she could be. If she could, Joan would be heading to Seattle, to find Nori, that is, if Nori hadn't died years ago.
Joan hoped to God that Pamela was still around, still up and listening to the punk music her and Nori used to jam to when they picked Joan up from school. If she wasn't, Joan would have to apply her final option and last time she checked, her and Bobby Singer didn't have the best relationship two drunk and rowdy hunters could have.
"You got a cell phone I could borrow? I bet Sondra has lost her mind." Mazzy asked after touching the sticky motel phone and quickly retracting her hand.
"Yeah." Sam replied, tossing his phone to Mazzy who caught it, smiled, and stepped outside.
"How long have you two been hunters?" Dean looked at Rosalyn who was fiddling with the drawstrings of her pasty blue hoodie.
Rosalyn continued to play with the strings but everyone in the room could feel her mood shift "A few years, Mazzy started learning after..." Rosalyn paused to look over her shoulder at the door. "After her whole family was murdered by a bunch of demons. She hates talking about it. I was brought up in a nunnery, that's where my mom left me after I was born. A few of the nuns there were hunters, well more like they cared for hunters who passed through and stopped at the church for food, water, or anything else they didn't have money for. They didn't teach me how to hunt, they taught me how to be careful, especially Sister Alda. She was the only one who knew I was..."
Rosalyn was interrupted when Mazzy re-entered the motel room. "Ella and Sondra will be here soon to pick us up."
"I swear I've heard those names before." Bobby muttered to himself.
"You say something Bobby?" Sam looked over his shoulder and Bobby shook his head to give a silent no.
"Oh okay. Can they come with? Back to the hideout?" Rosalyn asked like an excited child who just found a stray kitten.
"I don't think so." Mazzy gave an apologetic look. "Anyways they probably have somewhere else to be."
"We got our own hideout back in Lebanon." Sam chuckled at Rosalyn's childishness and energy.
"Our's is in New Orleans." Mazzy reached into the pocket of her heavy jean jacket and retrieved a pen before taking Dean's hand and drawing the wiccan symbol of protection. "If you're ever in the area or looking for help, just walk down the main strip and look for an old brick building with this symbol next to the door. Knock and say you're friends with us. That usually works"
"Will do." Sam nodded, Mazzy handing his phone back while he spoke.
"Wait a second." Rosalyn muttered, staring at Bobby, finally getting a good look at him. "Holy hell fire, I've seen you before." Bobby seemed to be caught off guard at Rosalyn's sudden outburst. "Yeah, I've definitely seen you before. Only in pictures though. Pictures in Joyce's study!"
"This wouldn't be the same Joyce who studied with me for years? Joyce McClintock?" Bobby asked, curious and on the edge of his seat.
"That's the one. You'd be proud to see her now." Mazzy giggled at Bobby's reaction and at Rosalyn who paced around the room with the energy of a puppy.
"You bet your ass I would." Bobby smiled, then looked over at the boys. "I practically raised the girl. Along with her sister, and little Louella and Joan, they visited every summer."
"Haha Ella isn't so little anymore. She's now the tallest of us all." Mazzy laughed. "But Joan... She didn't, she hasn't, I mean. Joan was stupid and got herself killed."
Everyone went silent until Bobby spoke. "I knew that son of a bitch would get herself hurt. How?"
"She went on this hunt with Ella and some other hunter. We never knew who 'cause Ella never talked about it but apparently this hunter stabbed Joan, thinking she was the shifter. If you asked Ella she'd get pissed and say the other hunter stabbed her on purpose, and honestly, I believe Ella. Joan was stupid and ran with the wrong people. She got into... Old habits."
"I wished the girl would've learned her the lesson." Bobby sighed. "Well next chance I get, we'll be sure to visit."
"You better." Rosalyn grinned and picked up her space themed backpack as a car honked outside. "That's probably for us."
"See you girls around." Dean smiled and shook hands with Mazzy while Rosalyn was quick to give hugs.
The female hunters stepped out into the cool fall air, wind tugging at their hair as they rushed towards the 1983 dodge ram miser that growled patiently. Mazzy and Rosalyn climbed into the back of the old truck and closed the doors with a bang.
"Joyce isn't here?" Mazzy asked, stretching the seat belt across her waist.
"She managed to talk her way out. Again." Ella smiled from shotgun. "It's good to see you're alive. Both of you."
"Sam and Dean saved us." Rosalyn stated with pep in her voice.
"The Winchesters?" Ella looked back at the girls. "I hope you invited them down to New Orleans. I'd love to meet the infamous hunters who single-handedly caused the apocalypse and stopped it multiple times."
"Who cares. Let's just head back." Sondra grumped, shifting gears and exiting the parking lot.
"I bet you missed me." Rosalyn giggled, making Sondra sigh and turn the radio up.
"See you guys when you get here." Joyce smiled into the phone, gently hanging up after sharing goodbyes with her friends. The young woman hummed the tune of whatever song was currently stuck in her head; she neatly organized bookshelves but left her desk a cluttered mess, making sure that the space stayed uninterrupted, just they way she liked it.
Joyce briefly left her study and crossed the hall to the kitchen where she brewed herself a cup of earl gray tea, any night was a good night to her if tea was involved. This wasn't one of those nights when she heard a loud bang from her study, the sound of books falling, glass breaking, and papers scattering sent Joyce into a panic. The studious dark haired girl reached for the knife on the counter, fear rattling through her body, making it hard for Joyce to even stand. Before she knew it, Joyce found herself moving forward slowly. Swallowing her panic, she peaked around the corner, knuckles white from gripping the knife as tightly as she was. Sprawled out on the floor, cover in blood and glass from the broken coffee table was a man in a long trench coat.
"Oh, that's a lot of blood. That's really a lot of blood. And you've got wings. You're an angel, Holy shit you're an angel." Joyce turned pale at the sight of blood coating the angel and everything around him. She fell to his side, her mind racing, trying to figure out what she should do.
Joyce squeaked when the angel moved slightly but she didn't run or hide like she usually would. A feeling deep in her gut gave her the sense this angel was one of the good guys, and she had to help.
