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Chapter 39: Back at It

After the Djinn hunt, you decided to tell the boys about the wound on your stomach and how God couldn't do anything about. They both initially both were mad at you for not telling them. You needed to take it easy, and you didn't. After the scolding, both Dean and Sam were incredibly caring and helpful. They only took on small hunts in the nearby area, leaving you home to rest.

The times they were on hunts were actually the times you enjoyed most. The longer you were around the bunker, the more at home you felt. It was easier to accept your new life with the infamous Winchester boys. While they were gone, you took to cleaning the place up. You dusted the book shelves, deep cleaned the fridge, which was a task all of its own, cleaned the bathrooms...there was a lot you did around there.

The boys always came home and commented on how good the bunker looked or smelled. You felt proud. It had been so long since you had somewhere to call home, and now that you did, you took pride in being able to clean it up.

Other times while they were gone, you would shop for groceries and surprise the boys with a nice meal. Those were the days you liked best. It was nice to come together over a homecooked meal, rather than box of pizza or a bag of take-out. Something about the homemade food seemed to make the three of you bond more. You even were starting to see a change in Dean. There were times you would catch him watching you while you were clearing the table, or he would just sit in the kitchen and talk with you while you cleaned up. Sometimes he even helped you with the dishes.

You tried your best not too read too much into it, because there was an excellent chance that he was just finally getting used to having you around. You didn't want to push any feelings that might not be there. Besides, if those feelings weren't there you would be hurt. It was best for everyone involved to pretend you only liked Dean as a friend, as hard as it was.

In all of that time they gave you to heal, October left as quickly as it seemed to come. Snow was starting to settle onto the ground. Thanksgiving was only a few weeks away, and you were already beginning to plan for the big meal. You were sure the boys probably wouldn't want to celebrate, but you were also hoping it wouldn't be hard to convince them. But before any of Thanksgiving prep could begin, there were a few things that you had been keeping tabs on that needed to be mentioned to the boys.

It was about seven in the morning when you decided to leave your room and share the information you've been hoarding for the past few days.

"Hey guys," you said while walking into the kitchen and looking down at your phone. "I think I got something." Dean looked up from his coffee tiredly and you tried not to chuckle. He was not an early bird and you thought his groggy state was kind of adorable. "Where's Sam?"

"You have one guess."

Your face twisted into a grimace, knowing the answer. "The psychopath is running, isn't he?" After being with the boys for the amount of time you had been, you had begun to know their routines. Sam liked being a health nut, and Dean...well Dean liked the opposite of that. He liked his sleep and coffee, while Sam liked his running and water. They were so similar, yet so very different.

Dean took a sip of his coffee and made a face at the heat hitting his tongue. "Yep."

You shook your head as you poured yourself a cup of coffee. Sam was always exercising and being healthy. It was bad enough that he exercised, but he had to make it worse by doing it early in the morning. It drove you nuts, but only because it made you feel guilty for not ever working out.

"So, what do ya got?" Dean asked as you when you sat across from him.

"There's been a lot of freak storms lately in a city in Pennsylvania. It could be nothing, but I'm thinking—"

"Demons."

You nodded your head. The trail for Abaddon had been dry ever since the night she captured you and killed Niki. You knew the boys wanted her dead because she was dangerous, and that was why you wanted her dead too. But it went further than that. She killed your friend and you wanted revenge.

"I think we should check it," you finally said.

"Sounds good to me. We'll tell Sam when he gets back."

"Awesome," you grinned. It was exciting to finally be going out on a hunt and that it didn't cause an argument. "I'm going to get packed."

You left the kitchen, sipping your coffee, with a skip to your step. The thought of stopping Abaddon before she had the chance to hurt anyone else made you happy. With all of your excitement, your clothes and weapons were packed in under fifteen minutes. You sat in the middle of your bed trying to think of ways to pass the time.

+++

After Sam got back, you all tossed your bags into the trunk of Baby and set on your way. Your mind was still set on thinking about the possibility of having a Thanksgiving dinner. It had been so long since you've had a full Thanksgiving meal with other people. You're typical Thanksgiving was spent either hunting or eating at some crappy diner.

"Hey, guys," you said, leaning forward and resting your arms on the back of the front seat. "Can we do Thanksgiving?"

Sam angled his body so he could turn and see you better. "You want to celebrate Thanksgiving?"

"Yeah. Take the day off, and I'll cook everything. I think it would be nice."

"Not much to be thankful for as a hunter," Dean said to you.

"I'm thankful for you two. I'm thankful I'm alive. I'm thankful to have a consistent home."

You saw Dean look back at you through the rearview mirror with his crooked grin that made you feel all kinds of feelings. "If you want Thanksgiving, I'm in."

"Really?" you asked, sitting back in surprise. A goofy grin was spreading on your face.

"Yeah. You're good with that, right?" he asked Sam.

He stumbled for an answer, clearly as surprised as you were. "Uh, yeah. Yeah, that's good."

"That was really easy." You rested back against the back seat, and allowed Dean's music choices to fill your ears as you watched the scenery blur by.

+++

All of you, including the addition of Cas, sat at the peeling vinyl booth of some place called the Log Cabin. It was a really long trip, but you made it. Sam occasionally drove for Dean so he could rest. Despite your offering, you never drove.

"How do we deal with any of this?" you asked before eating your fried cod.

"I have been on this for awhile now," Cas said in his low, angelic voice. "There's been a lot of activity in a building that isn't being used. The activity isn't from humans."

Before you had the chance to respond to him and ask where the building was, he proceeded with another helpful tidbit. "It's from demons. The activity is from demons."

"Yeah," Dean said, "Thanks Cas. I think we got that."

"You are welcome."

You were choking back a laugh and grin. The poor angel took everything so literally. He was so innocent, almost childlike.

"Where is the building?" you asked.

"It took me about twenty minutes to drive from there to here," Cas said.

Sam and Dean watched you from across the table as you interrogated Cas to learn about the case. It was awesome that they weren't stepping on your toes. The trust that had built between the three of you in the past couple of months was amazing. Just back in September they wouldn't even let you hunt.

"Have you picked up on the pattern yet? Is Abaddon there?"

"Yes, I have the pattern memorized, but I don't think they have Abaddon."

"Then what's the point?" you asked, dropping your fish in your basket of fries, and looking at the boys.

"Intel," Sam answered. "If we capture and torture one, there's a good chance that we will find Abaddon."

"And if we don't?"

"Back to square one," Dean said.