Lullaby |Dean Winchester|

Chapter 34: Risks Be Damned

His sorrowful voice followed me out. "Happy hunting, Short Stack."

The old stairs creaked beneath my feet as I climbed them back to the main floor. I didn't acknowledge Castiel or Bobby as I went back to my room to grab my keys. I had to talk to Gabriel. He had to have a plan.

My things were easy to throw back into their duffle, the work a welcome distraction. With the pistol returned to its holster and my toothbrush stowed, I was walking through the house and out of the front door.

"Andrea!" Bobby's voice stopped me in the doorway as I went to leave. "Where the hell do you think you're going?"

I didn't turn to face him. The wind chilled me through my sweatshirt, focusing my thoughts for a moment. "I've gotta talk to someone." The door slammed behind me as I jogged toward Stanley, the loud bang cutting off any response from Bobby. "Gabe!" I yelled into the night, yanking open the driver's door. "Gabriel!"

As soon as I sat down he appeared beside me. "Well, someone certainly has their panties in a twist." He mused watching me turn over the engine.

"Last week." His eyebrow raised, waiting for me to continue as I pulled out of the graveyard of cars. "Last week you told me you thought you found something."

He hesitated, watching me. "Yes."

"What is it." There was no question in my tone. I wasn't asking. I was demanding.

The silence was thick between us as the wheels turned in his divine head. "Andrea, are you sure? I told you-"

"I know the risks, Gabe, and I know I have a larger role to play in this freaking Apocalypse than I would care to admit." I shot him a look that could turn blood to ice. White knuckling the steering wheel, I took a deep breath. I was terrified. There's no other way to put it. If Dean wanted to save the world on his own, fine. But I would do it my way. One more deep breath replaced any fear I had with anger. "That's why we're going hunting: risks be damned."

XxXxX

"Bobby, now's not really the best time-"

"And when exactly would you want me to call, Princess?" His tone was biting, but I suppose I deserved it.

"Oh, I don't know, perhaps when I'm not scaling the side of a mountain in Dubai!" Surprisingly, however, the cell service up here was amazing. Readjusting my hook, I tried not to think about just how high up I was. It didn't matter. Only about a hundred feet higher and it would be fine. I could do this. Why Gabriel couldn't just poof us to the top was beyond me. He's tried explaining it, but I'd had to chalk it up to some Angel hocus pocus.

He laughed dryly through the phone. "Is that where you are now? I thought you were in Egypt."

"That was three days ago."

"How do you even get service that far up?"

"I don't know, Bobby! Does this call have a purpose? You called the emergency line!"

"Don't yell at me, missy. I'm not the one that ditched her family like an unwanted prom date."

That hurt. Gritting my teeth, I pulled myself up a little higher, continuing to climb. Gabe had made me swear I wouldn't tell them anything because if anyone caught wind of what we were doing, we wouldn't stand a chance. I shouldn't have even told Bobby where I was. That was putting us both at risk. But Gabriel was off looking for the other ingredients we needed and I didn't want him to be the only one to know where I was if I died here.

My voice was small. "I didn't ditch you. I'm taking care of you. I told you before, I might have found another solution."

"But you can't tell me."