Capricious (Supernatural)

Chapter 6

The Winchester boys and Ash all hung around Bobby's old living room, lit by the sunlight in the window. Dean sat in front of a gun-covered table with his knees spread to each side. Sam crossed one leg over the other on an old sofa, and Ash sat cross-legged on the wide windowsill. The older hunter returned from his kitchen with a six-pack of beer and food. He dropped a sandwich on each hunter's lap, then leaned back in the chair near a desk. Sam and Dean leaned forward, pulling out beers from the case. Bobby did the same, as did Ash.

"Hey, how old're you?" Dean pointed to Ash with the hand holding his beer bottle.

"Fifteen," Ash shrugged as she cracked open her bottle with her teeth.

"Should you really be drinking?"

Ash shrugged, and Bobby chuckled. "Oh, let 'er be. Not the worst thing she's done, I'm sure. If she can hunt, she can drink."

Dean shook his head, giving a quiet scoff. "All right."

"That's actually what we'd wanted to talk about, Bobby," Sam piped up, leaning his elbows on his knees. "We didn't know you knew Ash obviously, but... We wanted to see if we could get her a place to stay."

"Give her a normal life," Dean added before taking a large gulp of beer. "Away from all this shit."

Bobby took a thoughtful inhale, shaking his head. "I'd agree, boys, I really would."

"But?" Sam cocked his eyebrows in confusion.

"You've said it yourself," The man gestured lazily towards Sam. "This life chooses you. Not the other way around. Her father liked makin' deals with demons and getting out of 'em. Sneaky bastard, manipulative. Sorry, Ash."

The girl shrugged, finishing off the sandwich that had been given to her. "It's true," she added with a mouthful of food with her gaze still fixated down.

"So these assholes started comin' for her," Bobby shrugged at the Winchesters. "Father used to drop her off to me when he needed someone to watch 'er. Was an angry drunk. I told 'er to call me whenever he got bad, and I'd pick her up. So I taught her 'bout defending herself, and eventually hunting. I let her come with me on a few cases. She used to work with that Garth kid before he disappeared."

Ash nodded in gentle confirmation.

"So then you just let her hunt by herself after?" Sam made an open-arm gesture in confusion.

"No," the older man stated much more firmly, then turned to Ash. "An' I've got a bone to pick with you on that. I told you never to take a case on your own. Gonna get yourself killed."

Ash shrugged gently, then quietly decided "Most people thought I was already, anyways."

"Then you should've come on down to my place, I was still breathin'. You did good takin' care of yourself, kid, but I told you to never hunt on your own. I don't care if other people think your ass is six feet deep, what matters is that you ain't."

Ash nodded. "Sorry."

Bobby nodded. "All right. Now, let's get you three rested up. Ash, why don't ya go over to your old room? I gotta talk to these boys about other business really quick."

The smallest hunter nodded silently, then followed the hallway down. The bearded man didn't look back at the younger men until they heard the bedroom door click shut across the house.

"You found 'er hunting alone? You sure?" Bobby squinted at the Winchester boys.

"Yep," the eldest declared confidently. "Tried to pickpocket me."

"Pickpocket you?" The older man leaned farther against the back of his chair as he shook his head to himself, muttering "Balls."

Sam and Dean looked at each other in slight confusion. "What is it?" Sam crossed his arms.

"That kid ain't remembered anything I taught her. Had to pick 'er up a couple times at the police station for shoplifting on camera. Great hunter, and a bright kid, but not when it comes to the legal shit."

"So why'd you let her keep hunting? You never tried to make me go hunt when Dad dropped me off with you," Dean pointed out, scratching at the scruff on his jawline gently.

"Didn't want to," the older man shrugged. "Just as you two've said, hunting life picks you. Kid always seemed to be getting caught up with the monsters, even when she didn't try. Mother was killed by a rathe, an' father did like I was tellin' you. Ask anyone, mother deserved it, but no kid should be without a parent. Even a bad one."

"So, what're you thinking we should do about her?" Dean took another swig of his beer after speaking.

"I'm gonna keep 'er here for a short bit. Couple weeks, maybe. Knock some sense into her. You two go find a case or somethin' to work. I can feed two mouths on my own, not four," Bobby shook his head slightly to himself again in thought. "After that, I want you two boys to take 'er."

Sam furrowed his eyebrows. "What?"

Dean put his beer bottle on the table, then gestured to Bobby. "You want us to take Hayley Williams over here and bring her on our hunting trips? Living in crappy motels and warehouses? The exact thing we were trynna keep her from?"

"She's a good hunter," the older hunter argued gently. "Makes good company. She's gonna be doing it anyway, even if you tell her not to. I think you'd like her after a bit. Yeah, she can be a little shit, but don't act like you're some big hotshot guy."

Dean cracked open another beer bottle and made a silent Yeah, all right gesture with his head.

"I've gotta go talk to the kid," Bobby declared. "Not havin' any of her suicidal hunting-alone bullcrap."